Hurricane Beryl strengthened into a Category 4 storm with winds of 130 mph. FOX Weather is tracking the storm that just hit Windward Island in just 24 hours. The NHC warns that the damage could be catastrophic.
The situation in the Caribbean is becoming increasingly dire and residents are being warned to complete their preparations as soon as possible ahead of Hurricane Beryl, which has rapidly intensified and strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane that could unleash catastrophic destruction on the populated island nations starting Sunday night or early Monday morning.
Hurricane Beryl is now the second named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and quickly transformed from a tropical depression to a tropical storm to a hurricane, all within 24 hours.
Not only was Hurricane Beryl intense, but it also made history.
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National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan joined FOX Weather on Sunday to break down the latest forecasts on Hurricane Beryl and what the future could hold for the monster storm as it nears the Caribbean.
Hurricane Beryl intensified from a tropical depression to a major Category 3 hurricane in less than 48 hours, a feat not seen before September.
And according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane expert at Colorado State University, Hurricane Beryl became the first major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) on record east of the Lesser Antilles during the month of June.
Hurricane Beryl also became the first Category 4 hurricane on record in the Atlantic basin. According to Klotzbach, the previous record for the first Category 4 hurricane on record was Hurricane Dennis, which reached Category 4 strength on July 8, 2005.
According to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), maximum sustained winds were 130 mph and the minimum central pressure dropped to 962 millibars.
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“Until today, we didn’t have an aircraft in the storm. So we didn’t really have a good idea of how strong the storm really was,” National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said on FOX Weather Sunday morning. “When we flew the aircraft out there this morning, it looked like it was 25 mph stronger than we thought from the satellite imagery. So that’s the value of the data from that aircraft just to maintain situational awareness of how strong the storm is right now.”
The average date for the first hurricane to form in the Atlantic basin is August 11, so the season is running well ahead of schedule.
Water temperatures in parts of the tropical Atlantic Ocean resemble those typical of August and September, and because of the hurricane’s small size, it was able to avoid Saharan dust and hostile winds aloft.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Tobago.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for Martinique. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Dominica and Trinidad.
A boarded-up building is pictured before Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Bridgetown, Barbados on June 29, 2024. Much of the southeastern Caribbean was on alert on June 29, 2024 as Beryl strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, with forecasters warning it would quickly become a major storm. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Preparations are underway across the Caribbean as the region braces for the onslaught of Hurricane Beryl.
“Potentially catastrophic wind damage is expected where Beryl’s eyewall crosses parts of the Windward Islands, with the highest risk being to the core in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada “, said the NHC.
In Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley took to social media Friday night to urge her constituents to prepare for the storm.
“The reality is that we are not able to know exactly what type of weather we are going to face, but we do know that we are going to have to deal with some weather conditions,” she said. “And you and I know that when these things happen, it’s best to prepare for the worst and pray for the best. »
The Saint Lucia government announced on Facebook that it was shutting down the island and urged residents to stay at home from 8:30 p.m. on Sunday until authorities give the all-clear. The authorities also announced that all police leave was canceled and that police officers had to report to the nearest police station late Sunday afternoon.
WHERE ARE THE LESSER ANTILLES, WINDWIND ISLANDS AND LEEWARD ISLANDS
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What is the forecast for Hurricane Beryl?
Hurricane-force winds (over 74 mph) extend outward up to 30 miles from the center, and tropical storm-force winds (over 39 mph) extend outward up to 115 miles.
On Beryl’s forecast track, only the Windward Islands will be hit by damaging wind gusts over the next 24 to 36 hours as the system moves west or west-northwest.
The latest NHC forecast now shows winds reaching more than 140 mph near the Windward Islands.
“Our current priority is the Windward Islands, because that is where the catastrophic impact is going to be felt in the next 24 hours,” Brennan said. “So we are focusing on areas that are under hurricane alert. »
Meteorologists estimate the hurricane is expected to be near Jamaica by Wednesday, but its trend may weaken. By the end of the week, the hurricane could be close to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula or Central America.
WHY IS THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN KNOWN AS “THE HURRICANE GRAVEYARD”
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“This is expected to be a powerful hurricane that will extend along the entire Caribbean coast,” Brennan said. “It’s going to be something to watch for as far as Jamaica, Cuba, the Yucatan Peninsula, the Cayman Islands and possibly the Gulf of Mexico by next weekend.”
In addition to hurricane force winds, torrential rains will flood the islands. Current total forecasts predict that Beryl will bring 3 to 6 inches of rain to Barbados and the Windward Islands, producing areas of flash flooding.
The NHC has upgraded its storm surge forecast and now predicts a “life-threatening” surge that will raise water levels up to 6 to 9 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore flow near where Beryl comes closest to the islands.
A Hurricane Hunter aircraft surveyed the hurricane Sunday to give the NHC a better estimate of Beryl’s intensity.
BERYL TRACKER: LIVE FORECASTS, TROPICAL WEATHER ALERTS, SPAGHETTI MODELS AND MORE
Will Beryl have an impact on the United States?
The closest U.S. territories to the storm are the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and neither territory is under surveillance at this time.
The FOX Forecast Center expects the main impacts to remain south of the islands; however, a passing band of showers cannot be ruled out.
It is too early to say whether the hurricane will ever threaten the American continent, but if it does, it will likely be in a different form.
“There’s a good chance that high pressure will keep it over the southern United States,” said FOX hurricane weather specialist Bryan Norcross. “But if the high pressure moves away too soon, there is a chance the storm will slow down and possibly transition into the Gulf.”
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Hurricane Beryl makes history
Beryl formed farther east than any other June hurricane since records began in the mid-1800s.
The previous record belonged to Hurricane Two, which formed in 1933 off the northern coast of South America.
Beryl is also the furthest east a major hurricane has formed so early in the season.
Typically, the basin does not experience its first major hurricane until around September 1.
Major hurricane impacts are rare in the southeastern Caribbean, with Hurricanes Dennis and Emily setting records in 2005 for their peak intensity.
The name Beryl has been used on rotating lists managed by the World Meteorological Organization since 1982.
This graph shows the magnitude of tropical cyclone activity, in terms of named storms and hurricanes, that occurs in the Atlantic basin on each calendar day between May 1 and December 31. Specifically, it shows the number of hurricanes (yellow area) and the combined number of named storms and hurricanes (red area) that occur on each calendar day over a 100-year period. The graph is based on data from the 77-year period 1944 to 2020 (from the beginning of the aerial reconnaissance era) but normalized to 100 years. The official hurricane season for the Atlantic basin runs from June 1 to November 30, but tropical cyclone activity sometimes occurs before and after these dates, respectively. The peak of Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October.
(National Hurricane Center / NOAA)
