Beryl is becoming a Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean as it approaches the Caribbean

Beryl strengthened into a hurricane on Saturday as it moved toward the southeastern Caribbean Sea, and forecasters warned it was expected to strengthen into a dangerous major hurricane before it reaches Barbados late Sunday or early Monday.

It is considered a major hurricane Class 3 or higherwith winds of at least 111 mph. Beryl is currently a Category 1 hurricane.

A hurricane warning was issued for Barbados, Saint Lucia, Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while a tropical storm warning was issued for Martinique, Dominica and Tobago. A hurricane warning was issued for Barbados, Saint Lucia, Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, while a tropical storm warning was issued for Martinique, Dominica and Tobago.

It has been more than fifty years since a pre-Fourth of July hurricane appeared in the Atlantic Basin. Alma Hit the Florida Keys on June 8, 1966, according to Weather Underground.

“It’s amazing to see a major hurricane forecast for June anywhere in the Atlantic, let alone this far east in the deep tropics. #Beryl is bracing itself over the warmest waters ever recorded for late June,” Florida-based hurricane expert Michael Lowry wrote on social media.

Beryl is the second named storm in what is expected to be busy hurricane seasonWhich lasts from June 1 to November 30 in the Atlantic Ocean. Last week, Tropical Storm Alberto Bring Heavy flooding in parts of south Texas and northeastern Mexico. It was responsible for at least four deaths in the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon and Veracruz.

According to CBS News weather producer David Parkinson, Beryl is the furthest east of the hurricane to form in June, and one of only two to form east of the Caribbean, the other example occurring in 1933.

Parkinson expects Beryl to remain south of Jamaica, and expects that any impacts on the United States could be at least eight days away.

Beryl’s center is expected to pass about 26 miles south of Barbados, said Sabo Best, director of the island’s meteorological service.

On Saturday, Beryl was located about 720 miles east-southeast of Barbados, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. It was moving west at 22 mph.

“The hurricane is now expected to rapidly strengthen,” the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.

Atmospheric scientist Tomer Borg noted that Beryl was just a tropical depression with winds of 35 mph on Friday.

“This means that according to preliminary data, Beryl has already met the criteria for rapid intensification before becoming a hurricane,” he wrote on the X website.

Warm waters fuel the beryl, with ocean heat content in the deep Atlantic Ocean being the highest on record at this time of year, according to Brian McNoldy, a tropical meteorologist at the University of Miami.

Beryl is also the strongest tropical storm on record for June in the easternmost part of the tropical Atlantic, according to Klotzbach.

“We have to be prepared,” Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said in a public address Friday evening. “You and I know that when these things happen, it’s best to plan for the worst and pray for the best.”

She noted that thousands of people are in Barbados for the Cricket World Cup final, where India will beat South Africa on Saturday in the capital Bridgetown. This event is considered the biggest in cricket.

Some fans, like Shashank Moscow, a 33-year-old doctor who lives in Pittsburgh, quickly changed their flights to leave before the storm.

Moscow has never seen a hurricane before: “I don’t plan to be in a hurricane either.”

He and his wife, who were heading to India, found out about Beryl thanks to a taxi driver who mentioned the storm.

Meanwhile, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said in a public address Saturday that shelters would open Sunday evening and urged people to prepare. He ordered officials to refuel government vehicles and asked grocery stores and gas stations to stay open later in the storm.

“There will be a big rush… if you stick to limited hours,” he said, apologizing in advance for the disruption to government radio stations broadcasting storm updates. He added: “Cricket fans must bear that we will have to provide information… This is a matter of life and death.”

Beryl is the second named storm in what is expected to be a busy hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30 in the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in northeastern Mexico with torrential rains that killed four people.

Lowry noted that only five storms on record have formed in the tropical Atlantic east of the Caribbean. Of those storms, only one hurricane on record formed in the eastern Caribbean in June.

Mark Spence, a hotel manager in Barbados, said in a phone interview that he was calm about the coming storm.

“It’s the season, and a storm can come at any time,” he said. “I’m always prepared. I always have enough food in my house.”

Up to six inches of rain is expected to fall in Barbados and nearby islands, and a high surf warning has been activated for waves up to 13 feet high. A storm surge of up to seven feet is also expected.

The storm is approaching the southeastern Caribbean just days after the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago reported major flooding in the capital, Port of Spain, as a result of an unrelated weather event.

Meanwhile, an unidentified storm earlier in June dumped more than 20 inches of rain on parts of South Florida, stranding many motorists on flooded streets and pushing water into some homes in areas Low.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the first hurricane of the season typically forms in early to mid-August, making Beryl unusual in reaching hurricane strength. a report In its report last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an “above-average” hurricane season with 17 to 25 storms, 8 to 13 hurricanes, and 4 to 7 major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

A tropical storm is a tropical cyclone with maximum wind speeds of 39 to 73 miles per hour, while a hurricane And he knows As a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds greater than 74 mph.