Hurricane Beryl developed into a major Category 4 hurricane Sunday afternoon as it targeted the Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of 5 p.m., the hurricane’s location was about 250 miles southeast of Barbados and 450 miles east-southeast of St. Vincent with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph moving west-northwest at 18 mph. Hurricane force winds extend 30 miles and tropical storm force winds extend 115 miles.
According to the expected path, Beryl’s center is expected to be
Moving through the Windward Islands Monday morning and across
Southeastern and central Caribbean Sea late Monday until
Wednesday, National Hurricane Center Senior Hurricane Specialist John Cangialosi said.
Hurricane warnings have been issued for Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and the island of Tobago. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Martinique, and tropical storm warnings have also been issued for Dominica and the island of Tobago.
The southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Punta Palenque west to the border with Haiti and the southern coast of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Anse d’Hainault are now under a Tropical Storm Watch as of the 5 p.m. update.
“Fluations in strength are likely over the next day or so, and Beryl is expected to remain a very dangerous Category 4 hurricane when it makes landfall in the Windward Islands,” Cangialosi said.
It is expected to intensify even further with sustained winds of 140 mph and gusts of 165 mph before it passes through the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean with the risk of devastating wind damage.
Here are the key hurricane messages at 11 a.m. PT Sunday #berylPotentially catastrophic hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge, and damaging surf are expected as Beryl passes over parts of the Windward Islands with the highest heart risk in St. Louis. pic.twitter.com/xkfwJhtf2j
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) June 30, 2024
Storm surges of up to 6 to 9 feet above normal levels are expected, along with large and destructive waves, while 3 to 6 inches of rain are expected across Barbados and the Windward Islands through Monday, potentially causing flash flooding.
Its five-day forecast keeps the storm south of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola but close to Jamaica as a major hurricane on Wednesday before heading west toward the Yucatán Peninsula by Friday as a Category 2 hurricane.
“Models show a gradual increase in shear as the system moves across the Caribbean Sea, which should cause Beryl to stabilize in intensity and then gradually weaken,” Cangialosi said. “However, Beryl is expected to remain a major hurricane for the next five days.”
#beryl It is now in the third major category #tornado With maximum sustained winds of 115 mph – the third oldest major Atlantic hurricane on record, behind Alma (6/8/1966) and Audrey (6/27/1957). pic.twitter.com/RYXqSGomta
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) June 30, 2024
Beryl’s rapid growth into a Category 3 major hurricane is the third-oldest hurricane on record in the Atlantic after 1966’s Hurricane Alma and 1957’s Hurricane Audrey, said meteorologist Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University.
It is also the first major June hurricane on record east of the Lesser Antilles, having already set the record for the farthest eastward hurricane forming in June, the best since 1933.
The earliest Category 4 hurricane on record was Hurricane Dennis, which reached that strength on July 8, 2005.
The National Hurricane Center is also monitoring two other systems with a chance of developing into a tropical depression or another storm for the season.
Hurricane Beryl follows eastward an area of low pressure in the Atlantic Ocean several hundred miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands.
“Environmental conditions appear favorable for further development of this system, and it is likely to form into a tropical depression by the middle of this week as it moves generally westward at 15 to 20 mph across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic,” forecasters said. “Interests in the Lesser Antilles should monitor the progress of this system.”
The NHC gave it a 40% chance of developing in the next two days and 70% in the next seven.
The other system is in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, and a tropical depression formed on Sunday afternoon. As of the 7 p.m. update, the storm is moving west at 12 mph and is located 145 miles southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico. The storm continues to pack winds of about 35 mph with higher gusts and is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm before reaching the coast late Sunday but weaken as it moves inland over eastern Mexico.
Meteorologists said, “The system is moving toward the west and northwest at a speed of between 10 and 15 miles per hour, and it is expected to approach the eastern coast of Mexico tonight and move inland on Monday morning.”
Four to eight inches of rain is expected across parts of eastern Mexico through Monday. There is also the potential for localized flooding and mudslides from the system’s maximum rainfall total of 15 inches.
The Mexican government has issued a tropical storm warning from Cabo Rojo south to Puerto Veracruz.
The next two names for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, are Chris and Debbie.
The first named tropical storm of the season, Tropical Storm Alberto, formed on June 19 after a slow start to the season. However, the peak hurricane season runs from mid-August to October.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts an above-average year in the Atlantic with 17 to 25 named storms, eight to 13 of which are expected to become hurricanes, and four to seven of which will be major hurricanes.
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