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[Breaking news update at 8:02 a.m. ET]
Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 storm on Sunday morning, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
The center said in its warning that as of 8 a.m. ET, Beryl was about 420 miles east-southeast of Barbados, swirling with maximum winds of 115 mph.
[Previous story, updated at 7:39 a.m. ET]
Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, is rapidly strengthening as it spirals toward Barbados and the Windward Islands, threatening to pack destructive hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surges.
The National Hurricane Center expects Beryl to reach the Windward Islands by late Sunday or early Monday as a “very dangerous” Category 4 hurricane. It is unusual for the first hurricane of the season to form so early, given that the first hurricane usually forms on August 11.
In a 5 a.m. ET update, the National Hurricane Center said Beryl, a Category 2 hurricane, is currently located about 465 miles east-southeast of Barbados, with maximum sustained winds reaching 100 mph. It is expected to bring life-threatening winds and a storm surge beginning Sunday night.
“Catastrophic wind damage is expected where Beryl’s eye passes over portions of the Windward Islands,” the NHC said. “Life-threatening storm surges are expected to cause water levels of up to 5 to 7 feet above normal tides in areas near Beryl’s landfall within the hurricane warning and watch areas.”
Direct aircraft observations on Sunday are expected to provide more accurate data on the storm’s strength.
A hurricane is rapidly intensifying, with wind speeds increasing from 35 mph to 75 mph in 24 hours. Rapid intensification is when wind speeds increase by more than 35 mph in a 24-hour period.
“We expect Beryl to rapidly intensify and become a major hurricane before reaching areas like Barbados and the Windward Islands, and to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves into the eastern and central Caribbean through early next week,” Mike Brennan, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Hurricane Center, told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield on Saturday.
The storm is currently just 11 miles per hour away from reaching “major” hurricane levels of Category 3 or higher, which could cause “significant casualties and damage.”
Brennan said residents in areas under a hurricane warning should prepare for the impacts of a major storm. Beryl will bring heavy rain, destructive hurricane-force winds and the risk of dangerous storm surges and waves. Rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches could cause localized flooding across the Windward Islands from Sunday night into Monday, the center said.
Hurricane warnings are Valid in BarbadosSaint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. A tropical storm warning has been issued for Martinique and Tobago, and a tropical storm watch has been issued for Dominica.
“Those with interests in the Central and Western Caribbean should monitor the development of this system,” the NHC warned Saturday.
CNN Stormbot
Satellite image of Beryl at 9pm ET on Saturday.
Beryl’s rapid strengthening this early in hurricane season is highly unusual, Brennan said. Tropical systems, especially strong ones, rarely form in the central Atlantic east of the Lesser Antilles in June, and have only happened a few times before, according to NOAA records.
If Beryl reaches Category 4 strength by Thursday, July 4, it will become the earliest recorded Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic. The storm has already set a record as the most eastern hurricane to form in the tropical Atlantic in June, breaking the previous record set in 1933.
The central and eastern Atlantic are traditionally more active in August as ocean temperatures have time to warm and fuel the developing systems.
But this year, the transition from El Niño to La Niña has resulted in warmer than average water temperatures in the Atlantic basin and a lack of wind shear, both of which are drivers of tropical development.
“Beryl found herself in an environment where the waters were very warm for this time of year,” Brennan said.
Warmer ocean temperatures in the Atlantic basin create opportunities for tropical storms and hurricanes to develop more quickly and further east, which could result in stronger and more destructive storms earlier in the hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, Brennan said.
“These are waters that we would normally see in August or September, but now we’re seeing them in late June,” Brennan said. “This means there’s more room for formation in the deep waters of the tropical Atlantic before we get to the normal peak of hurricane season.”
Caribbean islands urge citizens to prepare for hurricanes
Hurricane watches and warnings have been issued in several Caribbean countries as Hurricane Beryl approaches and strengthens, and authorities are urging residents to take precautions.
Officials in Barbados expect the island to feel the effects of the storm as early as late Sunday night, with the weather service predicting strong winds, 3 to 6 inches of rain, dangerous marine conditions and severe thunderstorms that could knock out power.
“All of our normal preparations for any hurricane are proceeding smoothly,” Minister of Interior and Information Wilfred Abraham said in a statement. “We have less than 48 hours until this system will impact Barbados, and we urge you to use this time wisely.”
Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
Boarded up buildings are seen in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Saturday.
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 bureau forecast sustained wind speeds of 74 to more than 110 mph and 4 to 6 inches of rainfall.
“Kingstown will be flooded as this hurricane continues on its path,” Gonsalves said of the nation’s capital. “Typically, two inches of rain in a relatively short period of time would flood the city. Four inches would certainly flood the city.”
The St. Lucia government has warned that the storm could bring “moderate to heavy rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds” to the region, and Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has urged residents to make necessary preparations and review their family emergency plans.
In Grenada, the National Disaster Management Authority is also urging residents to prepare by having disaster preparedness kits, trimming overhanging trees and branches, clearing drains and knowing the location of emergency shelters.
Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
Cars line up at a gas station in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Saturday as Hurricane Beryl approaches.
According to research by Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane expert and researcher at Colorado State University, the formation of such systems in this part of the Atlantic so early in the summer is a sign of an active hurricane season ahead, when ocean temperatures in June and July typically aren’t warm enough for tropical systems to become active.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service expect between 17 and 25 named storms to form this season, of which between 8 and 13 will become hurricanes, with between 4 and 7 of those becoming major hurricanes.
“This is well above average,” Brennan noted.
The Japan Meteorological Agency explained that the reason for this was “a combination of factors that promote the formation of tropical cyclones, including sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean approaching record highs, the progression of the La Niña phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, weakening Atlantic trade winds, and weakening wind shear.”
