Beryl has become the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, posing a threat to the southeast Caribbean with forecasters warning of an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Beryl, currently located about 465 miles east of Barbados in the Atlantic Ocean, is expected to bring “life-threatening winds and storm surge” to the Windward Islands as it intensifies and becomes an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane.”
Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada are under hurricane warnings, with tropical storm warnings issued for other neighboring islands.
Residents are preparing for the impact, stocking up on supplies and boarding up their properties ahead of the storm’s arrival.
Beryl’s maximum sustained winds have increased to nearly 100 mph, and experts are noting the rarity of such a powerful storm forming early in the hurricane season.
The NHC is warning of heavy rain, flooding, and devastating wind damage as Beryl moves through the Windward Islands.
Experts have predicted an “extraordinary” hurricane season with up to seven storms of Category 3 or higher, citing warm Atlantic ocean temperatures and La Nina conditions as contributing factors.
The increase in extreme weather events like hurricanes is attributed to climate change.
bur-st-mlm/rsc/smw
