Hurricane Beryl is expected to become a “dangerous” major storm as it approaches the Caribbean.

CNN
—

berylthe first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, is rapidly intensifying as it heads toward Barbados and the Windward Islands, promising damaging hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge.

The National Hurricane Center says Beryl is expected to become a “dangerous major hurricane” when it makes landfall in the Windward Islands Sunday night or Monday. The early timing for the first hurricane of the season is unusual, since the average first hurricane date is Aug. 11.

The hurricane center said in a 2 a.m. ET update that Hurricane Beryl is located about 530 miles east-southeast of Barbados, moving west at 20 mph. It is expected to bring life-threatening winds and damaging storm surges beginning Sunday night.

“Devastating wind damage is expected as Beryl’s eyewall moves across parts of the Windward Islands.” NHC “A life-threatening storm surge will raise water levels 5 to 7 feet above normal tidal levels in overland flow areas near where Beryl reaches hurricane warning and watch areas,” he said.

The hurricane is rapidly strengthening, with winds increasing from 35 mph to 75 mph in less than 24 hours. Rapid intensification is defined as winds increasing by 35 mph or more in a 24-hour period. According to the 2 a.m. ET update from the hurricane center, Beryl’s maximum sustained winds are near 90 mph with stronger gusts.

“We expect rapid intensification and expect Beryl to become a major hurricane before it reaches places like Barbados and the Windward Islands and to continue to be a strong hurricane as it moves into the eastern and central Caribbean as we move into the early parts of next year,” said Mike Brennan, director of the agency’s National Hurricane Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Report, Frederica Whitfield for CNN on Saturday.

A major hurricane is classified as a Category 3 or higher which has the potential for “significant loss of life and damage.”

Brennan said residents in places with tornado warnings should be prepared for the impacts of major storms. Beryl brings the threat of torrential rains, damaging hurricane-force winds, storm surges, and dangerous waves. Rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches could lead to localized flooding across the Windward Islands Sunday night and Monday, the center said.

Tornado warnings are Valid in BarbadosSaint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. Tropical storm warnings were also issued for Martinique and Tobago, and a tropical storm alert was in place for Dominica.

“Those concerned with the central and western Caribbean region should monitor the progress of this system,” the National Hurricane Center warned Saturday.

Brennan said Hurricane Beryl’s rapid intensification is very unusual this early in the hurricane season. Tropical systems in the mid-Atlantic east of the Lesser Antilles in June are rare, especially strong systems, with only a few occurring. According to NOAA records.

The central and eastern Atlantic typically become more active in August, in part because ocean temperatures have time to warm and feed developing systems.

However, this year the Atlantic basin has seen higher than normal water temperatures and less wind shear due to the transition from an El Niño to a La Niña season, both of which fuel tropical development.

“Beryl found an environment with very warm ocean waters for this time of year,” Brennan said.

Warmer waters in the Atlantic basin have given tropical storms and hurricanes the opportunity to develop faster in a more easterly position, allowing storms to become stronger and therefore more destructive early in the hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, Brennan said.

“This is ocean water that you normally see in August or September, but now we’re seeing it in late June,” Brennan said. “It kind of opens up more of the depths of the tropical Atlantic to formation before we get to what would be the traditional peak of hurricane season.”

Caribbean Islands Urge Public to Prepare for Hurricane

Authorities are urging residents to take precautionary measures, as several Caribbean countries are under hurricane watches and warnings as Hurricane Beryl approaches and gains strength.

Officials in Barbados say the island is expected to feel the storm’s impact late Sunday night. Its weather service is predicting gale-force winds, 3 to 6 inches of rain, “hazardous” sea conditions and severe thunderstorms that could knock out power.

“All our usual hurricane preparations are underway. We have less than 48 hours until we expect to see the effects of this system on Barbados. Please use your time very wisely,” Interior and Information Minister Wilfred Abrahams said in a statement.

In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves warned that the storm could hit the islands by Monday morning as a Category 2 hurricane. The weather service expects sustained winds of 74 to 110 mph or more and rainfall of 4 to 6 inches.

“Kingstown will be flooded once this hurricane is on its way,” Gonsalves said of the capital. “Normally, sustained rain of two inches – over a relatively short period of time – would flood the city. Four inches would undoubtedly flood the city.”

In St. Lucia, the government warned that the storm could bring “heavy rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds” to the region. Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre advised residents to make necessary preparations and review their family emergency plans.

In Grenada, the National Disaster Management Agency is also urging residents to prepare by obtaining disaster supply kits, trimming trees and overhanging branches, clearing drains, and knowing where their emergency shelters are located.

These systems forming early in the summer in this part of the Atlantic are a sign of the upcoming active hurricane season, according to Search from Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane expert and research scientist at Colorado State University. Typically, ocean temperatures are not warm enough in June and July to help tropical systems thrive.

National Weather Service Predictors predict This season is expected to see 17 to 25 named storms, eight to 13 of which will become hurricanes, including four to seven major hurricanes.

“This is well above average,” Brennan noted.

The weather service says this is “due to a combination of factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic, developing La Niña conditions in the Pacific, reduced Atlantic trade winds, and reduced wind shear, all of which tend to favor tropical storm formation.”