(Reuters) -Hurricane Beryl has turn into a really harmful Class 3 storm within the Atlantic Ocean and is because of carry life-threatening winds to the Caribbean’s Windward Islands because it strengthens into Monday, the U.S. Nationwide Hurricane Middle (NHC) mentioned.
The primary hurricane of the 2024 season was situated about 420 miles (675 km) east-southeast of Barbados on Sunday morning, with most sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph), the NHC mentioned in an advisory. It’s uncommon for a significant hurricane to seem as early within the yr as June.
Beryl was forecast to strengthen right into a Class 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale by Monday, with winds that may trigger “catastrophic damage.” Hurricane warnings have been issued in Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands, Grenada and Tobago.
The NHC warned these islands to brace for as much as 6 inches (15 cm) of rain. It mentioned Beryl would elevate water ranges by as much as 9 ft (2.74 meters) above regular tide ranges the place the hurricane makes landfall.
Final month, the U.S. Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted “above-normal hurricane activity” within the Atlantic in 2024, partly attributable to near-record heat ocean temperatures.
It’s uncommon to see a significant hurricane type so early within the season, which spans June 1 to Nov. 30.
If Beryl strengthens right into a Class 4 hurricane as anticipated, it will be the earliest such hurricane on report, in line with the NHC, beating Hurricane Dennis, which turned a Class 4 on July 8, 2005.
