Hurricane Beryl is heading towards the southeast Caribbean early Monday, with officials advising residents to seek shelter in anticipation of powerful winds and swells from the Category 3 storm.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) stated that Beryl, located in the Atlantic Ocean about 110 miles southeast of Barbados, remains a “dangerous major hurricane as it moves through the Windward Islands into the eastern Caribbean”.
Originally categorized as a Category 4 storm, experts noted that such an intense storm forming early in the Atlantic hurricane season (which runs from June to November) is highly unusual.
“Only five major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher have been recorded in the Atlantic before the first week of July,” posted hurricane expert Michael Lowry on X platform.
“Beryl would mark the sixth and earliest occurrence this far east in the tropical Atlantic.”
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, along with Grenada, are at the highest risk of being in the storm’s path starting early Monday, with potentially catastrophic wind damage anticipated, according to the NHC.
Countries like Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Tobago are under hurricane warnings, while tropical storm warnings or watches are in place for Martinique, southern Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
A state of emergency has been declared in Tobago, the smaller of the two islands in Trinidad and Tobago, with schools closed on Monday, stated official Farley Augustine.
Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell urged citizens to seek shelter quickly and abide by an island-wide curfew in effect from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am on Tuesday.
A meeting of the Caribbean regional bloc CARICOM in Grenada scheduled for this week has been postponed due to the hurricane.
In Bridgetown, Barbados, gas stations are seeing long lines, while supermarkets are crowded with shoppers stocking up on supplies. Some households are already boarding up their properties in preparation.
Beryl became the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season early Saturday morning and rapidly intensified to Category 4, the first to reach that level in June according to NHC records.
– Devastating wind damage –
A Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale is considered a major hurricane, with Category 4 storms having sustained winds of at least 130 mph.
As of around 5:00 pm Sunday, Beryl’s maximum sustained winds were estimated at 130 mph, as per the NHC.
Beryl is forecasted to remain strong as it moves through the Caribbean, prompting residents and officials in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and the northwestern Caribbean to closely monitor its path.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts an “extraordinary” hurricane season this year, with up to seven storms of Category 3 or higher, attributing it to warm Atlantic Ocean temperatures and La Nina conditions in the Pacific.
Climate change has led to an increase in extreme weather events, including hurricanes, which have become more frequent and severe in recent years.
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