Beryl has become the first named hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, posing a significant threat as it heads toward the southeast Caribbean. As of Saturday, forecasters warned that Beryl could strengthen into a dangerous major hurricane before reaching Barbados and the Windward Islands by late Sunday or early Monday.
Brian McNoldy, a tropical meteorology researcher at the University of Miami, noted that the unusually warm waters in the deep Atlantic are fueling Beryl's rapid intensification. "Ocean heat content in the deep Atlantic is the highest on record for this time of year," McNoldy told the Associated Press.
Beryl's formation is historic, as it is the first hurricane to appear in the Atlantic basin before July 4th in more than fifty years. The last hurricane to do so was Alma, which struck the Florida Keys on June 8, 1966.
As of Saturday night, Beryl was located about 660 miles southeast of Barbados, moving west at 22 mph with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasted that Beryl's center would pass approximately 26 miles south of Barbados. Sabu Best, director of Barbados' meteorological service, confirmed this trajectory.
CBS News weather producer David Parkinson highlighted the rarity of Beryl's formation location. "Beryl is the farthest east a hurricane has formed in the month of June. Only one other hurricane formed this far east in June, and that was in 1933," Parkinson said.
The NHC predicted that Beryl would move across the Windward Islands, which include Grenada, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Dominica, and St. Vincent, by late Sunday night or early Monday. The hurricane is expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to these areas.
Beryl, currently a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of up to 95 mph, is forecasted to become a major hurricane before reaching the Windward Islands. A major hurricane is defined as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 111 mph or higher.
The NHC has issued hurricane warnings for Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, and the Grenadine Islands. Martinique and Tobago are under tropical storm warnings, while Dominica is under a tropical storm watch.
Beryl is expected to bring heavy rainfall, with predictions of 3 to 6 inches of rain in Barbados and the Windward Islands. A storm surge of up to seven feet is also forecasted. St. Vincent could receive up to 6 inches of rainfall, while Martinique, Grenada, and Dominica are expected to get 2 to 4 inches of rain.
Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley urged residents to prepare for the worst. "You and I know when these things happen, it is better to plan for the worst and pray for the best," she said in a public address. She noted that thousands of people are in Barbados for the Twenty20 World Cup cricket final, with India beating South Africa in the capital of Bridgetown on Saturday.
In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves announced that shelters would open on Sunday evening and urged residents to prepare for the storm. "Cricket lovers have to bear with us that we'll have to give information ... this is life and death," Gonsalves said, emphasizing the need for grocery stores and gas stations to stay open longer to accommodate preparations.
Beryl's rapid intensification has caught the attention of atmospheric scientists. Tomer Burg, an atmospheric science researcher, noted that Beryl was just a tropical depression with 35 mph winds on Friday. "This means that according to preliminary data, Beryl already met rapid intensification criteria before even becoming a hurricane," Burg wrote on X.
The unusual timing and location of Beryl's formation have raised concerns among meteorologists. Florida-based hurricane expert Michael Lowry described the situation as "astonishing." "It's astonishing to see a forecast for a major hurricane in June anywhere in the Atlantic, let alone this far east in the deep tropics," Lowry posted on social media.
Beryl's approach comes amid a season predicted to be busy. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has forecasted an "above average" hurricane season with 17 to 25 named storms, 8 to 13 hurricanes, and 4 to 7 major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.
