2024’s First Hurricane, ‘Beryl’, Approaches Caribbean

A major hurricane is classified as Category 3 or higher.

On Sunday, much of the southeastern Caribbean was on high alert as Hurricane Beryl intensified, becoming the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season. Forecasters warned that it could become an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Beryl, currently about 465 miles (750 kilometers) east of Barbados in the Atlantic Ocean, is expected to bring “life-threatening winds and storm surge” when it reaches the Windward Islands early Monday.

The NHC warned that the storm is “continuing to rapidly intensify” and predicted it would become an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane” by the time it impacts Caribbean communities.

Hurricane warnings were issued for Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. Meanwhile, tropical storm warnings or watches were in place for Martinique, Tobago, and Dominica, according to the NHC’s latest advisory.

In Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, cars were seen lining up at gas stations on Saturday, and supermarkets and grocery stores were crowded with people buying food, water, and other supplies. Some households were already boarding up their homes.

A Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale is considered a major hurricane, with a Category 4 storm having sustained winds of at least 130 miles per hour (209 kilometers per hour).

By around 5:00 am (0900 GMT) Sunday, Beryl’s maximum sustained winds had increased to nearly 100 mph, with higher gusts, according to the NHC.

Experts noted that such a powerful storm forming this early in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from early June to late November, is extremely rare.

“Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area beginning early on Monday,” the NHC said, warning of heavy rain, flooding, and storm surge that could raise water levels by as much as nine feet (2.7 meters) above normal.

“Devastating wind damage is expected where the eyewall of Beryl moves through portions of the Windward Islands,” the NHC said, indicating that wind speeds in some areas could be 30 percent stronger than those listed in their advisory.

In late May, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an “extraordinary” hurricane season this year, with up to seven storms of Category 3 or higher. The agency attributed the expected increase in storms to warm Atlantic ocean temperatures and conditions related to the La Nina weather phenomenon in the Pacific.

Extreme weather events, including hurricanes, have become more frequent and more devastating in recent years due to climate change.

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