Hurricane Beryl intensifies into Atlantic's earliest Category 4 on record
MIAMI (FOX Weather) - 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.
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.
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And 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.
"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 and Trinidad.
Preparations have been underway across the Caribbean as the region braces for the onslaught of Hurricane Beryl.
"Potentially catastrophic wind damage is expected where the eyewall of Beryl moves through portions of the Windward Islands, with the highest risk of the core in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada," 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 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.