Beryl strengthened into a hurricane on Saturday as it moved southeast into the Caribbean, with forecasters warning the storm is expected to become a major and dangerous hurricane before making landfall in Barbados late Sunday or early Monday morning.
A major hurricane is considered Category 3 or higher, with winds of at least 111 mph (178 km/h). Currently, Beryl is a Category 1 storm, marking the furthest east a hurricane has formed in the tropical Atlantic in June on record, breaking the old record set in 1933. , according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Philip Klotzbach.
A hurricane warning has been issued for Barbados, and a hurricane warning is in effect for St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, while a tropical storm warning has been issued for Martinique, Dominica and Tobago. A hurricane warning is in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, while a tropical storm warning has been issued for Martinique, Dominica and Tobago.
“It’s incredible to see a major hurricane (Category 3+) forecast for June anywhere in the Atlantic, let alone this far east in the deep tropics. #Beryl is rapidly organizing over the warmest waters ever recorded for late June,” Florida-based hurricane expert Michael Lowry posted on X.
The center of Hurricane Beryl is expected to move about 26 miles (45 kilometers) south of Barbados, said Sabu Best, director of the island’s meteorological service.
On Saturday, Beryl was located about 720 miles (1,160 km) east-southeast of Barbados, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h). It is moving west at 22 mph (35 km/h).
“The storm is now forecast to rapidly intensify,” the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
Atmospheric scientist Tomer Burg noted that Beryl was just a tropical depression with winds of 35 mph on Friday.
“This means that according to preliminary data, Beryl met the criteria for rapid intensification before becoming a hurricane,” he wrote on social media platform X.
According to Brian McNoldy, a tropical meteorologist at the University of Miami, warm waters are energizing Beryl, with the heat content of the ocean in the deep Atlantic reaching the highest level ever recorded at the time. this year.
According to Klotzbach, Beryl is also the strongest June tropical storm on record in the tropical Atlantic.
“We need to be prepared,” Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said in a public address late Friday. “You and I both know that when these things happen, it’s best to plan for the worst and pray for the best.”
She noted that thousands of people are in Barbados to watch the 2020 cricket World Cup final, in which India will defeat South Africa on Saturday in the capital Bridgetown. It is considered cricket’s biggest event.
Some fans, like Shashank Musku, a 33-year-old physician living in Pittsburgh, rushed to change flights to leave before the storm hit.
Musku has never experienced a storm: “I don’t intend to experience a storm either.”
He and his wife, who are Indian supporters, learned about Beryl through a taxi driver who mentioned the storm.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves said in a public address on Saturday that shelters would open on Sunday night as he urged people to prepare. He ordered officials to refuel government vehicles and asked grocery stores and gas stations to stay open later before the storm hit.
“There will be such a rush… if you keep limited hours,” he said as he apologized in advance for the government’s interruption of radio stations with storm updates. “Cricket lovers have to bear with us that we will have to provide information… this is life and death.”
Beryl is the second named storm in what is expected to be a busy hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30 in the Atlantic. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in northeastern Mexico with heavy rain, killing four people.
Lowry noted that only five named storms have ever been recorded to form in the tropical Atlantic east of the Caribbean. Of those, only one, a record-breaking storm, formed in the eastern Caribbean in June.
Mark Spence, a motel manager in Barbados, said in a phone interview that he was calm in the face of the approaching storm.
“It’s the season. You can get a storm at any time,” he said. “I’m always prepared. I always have enough food in the house.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the 2024 hurricane season will likely be above average, with 17 to 25 named storms. Forecasts call for as many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.
An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
Beryl expected up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain on Barbados and neighboring islands, and a wave warning of up to 13 feet (4 meters) was in effect. Storm surges up to 7 feet (2 meters) are also expected.
The storm is approaching the southeastern Caribbean just days after the twin island nation of Trinidad and Tobago reported major flooding in its capital Port-of-Spain due to an unrelated weather event.
Meanwhile, an unnamed storm in early June dropped more than 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain on some areas of South Florida, stranding motorists on flooded streets and pushing water into some homes in low-lying areas.
