Hurricane Beryl becomes Atlantic’s earliest Category 4 on record

The situation in the Caribbean is becoming more dire and residents are being warned to finish up preparations as soon as possible ahead of Hurricane Beryl, which rapidly intensified and strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane that could unleash catastrophic destruction across populated island nations starting early Monday morning.

Hurricane Beryl is now the second named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and quickly strengthened from a tropical depression into a tropical storm and then a hurricane – all within 24 hours.

Not only is Hurricane Beryl intense, but it’s also made history.

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Hurricane Beryl intensified from a tropical depression into a major Category 3 hurricane in less than 48 hours, a feat never before achieved earlier than September.

According to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane expert at Colorado State University, Hurricane Beryl became the first major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger) on record east of the Lesser Antilles during the month of June.

Hurricane Beryl also became the Atlantic Basin’s earliest Category 4 hurricane on record. According to Klotzbach, the previous record for the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record was Hurricane Dennis, which reached Category 4 strength on July 8, 2005.

As of the latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the maximum sustained winds were at 130 mph, and the minimum central pressure plummeted to 960 millibars.

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“Until today, we didn’t have aircraft into the storm. So, we didn’t really have a great handle on how strong the storm actually was,” National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said on FOX Weather Sunday morning. “When we flew the aircraft in there this morning, it looked like it was 25 mph stronger than what we thought it was from satellite imagery. So, that’s the value of that aircraft’s data just in maintaining situational awareness of how strong the storm is right now.”

The average date for the first hurricane formation in the Atlantic Basin is Aug. 11, so the season is running well ahead of the typical schedule.

Water temperatures in parts of the tropical Atlantic Ocean resemble what is typical for August and September, and due to the hurricane’s small size, it has been able to avoid Saharan dust and hostile upper-level winds.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands, Grenada and Tobago.

A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for Martinique. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Dominica, Trinidad, the southern coast of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. 

Preparations have been underway across the Caribbean as the region braces for the onslaught of Hurricane Beryl.

“Potentially catastrophic hurricane-force winds, a life-threatening storm surge, and damaging waves are expected when Beryl passes over portions of the Windward Islands with the highest risk of the core in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada beginning early Monday morning,” the NHC said.

In Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley took to social media Friday night to urge her constituents to prepare for the storm.

“The reality is that we are not in a position to know exactly what type of weather we are going to face, but we know we’re going to face some weather,” she said. “And you and I know that when these things happen, it’s better to plan for the worst and pray for the best.”

The Barbados Department of Emergency Management is encouraging residents to stock up on supplies, and emergency shelters are opening across the island. Grantley Adams International Airport in Christ Church will close at 7 p.m. on Sunday until further notice. 

The government of Saint Lucia announced on Facebook that it was shutting down the island nation and urged residents to remain indoors starting at 8:30 p.m. Sunday until the all-clear is given by officials. Government officials also announced that all police officer leave was canceled and officers needed to report to the nearest police station by late Sunday afternoon.

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What is the forecast for Hurricane Beryl?

Hurricane-force winds (74-plus mph) extend outward up to 30 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds (39-plus mph) extend outward up to 115 miles.

On Beryl’s forecast trajectory, only the Windward Islands will be impacted by damaging wind gusts over the next 24-36 hours as the system travels toward the west or west-northwest.

The latest forecast from the NHC now shows winds reaching upwards of 140 mph near the Windward Islands.

“Our main focus right now is for the Windward Islands because this is where we’re going to have this catastrophic impact unfold in the next 24 hours,” Brennan said. “So, we’re emphasizing those areas that are under the Hurricane Warnings.”

Forecasters say by Wednesday, the hurricane should be in the vicinity of Jamaica, but it could be on a weakening trend. By the end of the week, the hurricane could be near the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico or Central America.

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“It’s expected to be a powerful hurricane all the way across the Caribbean,” Brennan said. “It bears watching all the way to places like Jamaica, Cuba, the Yucatan Peninsula, Cayman Islands and then potentially the Gulf of Mexico as we get into next weekend.”

In addition to hurricane-force winds, torrential rain will drench the islands. Current forecast totals predict Beryl will bring 3-6 inches of rain across Barbados and the Windward Islands, producing areas of flash flooding.

The NHC has upgraded its storm surge forecast and is now predicting a “life-threatening” surge that will raise water levels by as much as 6-9 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore flow near where Beryl makes its closest approach to the islands.

A Hurricane Hunter aircraft investigated the hurricane on Sunday to give the NHC a better estimate of Beryl’s intensity.

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Will Beryl impact the US?

The closest American territories to the storm are the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and neither territory is under a watch at this time.

The FOX Forecast Center expects the main impacts to remain south of the islands; however, a passing band of showers cannot be ruled out.

It is too soon to tell if the hurricane will ever threaten the continental U.S., but if it does, it will likely be in a different form.

“The odds favor high pressure holding it to the south of the U.S.,” FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross said. “But if the high pressure moves out of the way too soon, there is some chance the storm could slow and possibly turn into the Gulf.”

Hurricane Beryl makes history

Beryl formed farther east than any other June hurricane since records began in the mid-1800s.

The previous record was held by Hurricane Two, which formed in 1933 while off the northern coast of South America.

Beryl is also the farthest east a major hurricane has formed so early in the season.

Typically, the basin doesn’t see its first major hurricane until around Sept. 1.

Impacts from major hurricanes are infrequent in the southeastern Caribbean, with hurricanes Dennis and Emily setting records in 2005 for their peak intensities.

The name Beryl has been used on rotating lists managed by the World Meteorological Organization since 1982.