Tropical Storm Beryl forecast to become major hurricane as it nears the Caribbean

Tropical Storm Beryl is forecast to become a major hurricane as it inches closer to the Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm will turn into a hurricane before it reaches the Windward Islands, which include Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Martinique. Beryl is currently located about 820 miles east-southeast of Barbados with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour. It’s moving west at 23 miles per hour.

“A relatively quick westward to west-northwestward motion is expected during the next few days,” the National Hurricane Center said in an update Saturday. “On the forecast track, the system is expected to move across the Windward Islands late Sunday night and Monday.”

Hurricane watches have been issued for Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, where hurricane conditions are possible Sunday night or Monday morning, per the National Hurricane Center. Tropical storm watches are in effect for Martinique and Tobago, where storm conditions are likely by Monday morning.

Life-threatening storm surges may raise water levels by 5 to 7 feet above normal tide levels in the hurricane watch areas and bring destructive waves to the coast.

A total of 3 to 6 inches of rainfall is possible across Barbados and the Windward Islands Sunday into Monday, which may cause flooding in some areas.

Additional warnings and watches are possible for the region later Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said.