Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news about Hurricane Beryl for Sunday, June 30.
Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 season, intensified on Sunday into a powerful, “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm, bringing life-threatening winds as it barrels toward the Caribbean Sea.
The National Hurricane Center said at 11 p.m. that Berrier was about 150 miles southeast of Barbados and 245 miles east-southeast of St. Vincent, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, but that the intensity could fluctuate over the next day or so.
Hurricane-force winds extend up to 30 miles from the center, and tropical storm-force winds extend up to 115 miles from the center, according to the center's latest update. A tropical storm watch has been issued for the Dominican Republic, the southern coast of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Tropical storm warnings were also issued for Martinique and Trinidad.
The hurricane center added that as Beryl passes through the Windward Islands on Monday, catastrophic wind damage is expected wherever the eyewall passes, with the highest risk in the core of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. The windward side of hills and mountains is typically 30 percent stronger than near-surface winds, “and may even be stronger in some upland areas.”
A hurricane warning is in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Tobago on Sunday, meaning hurricane conditions are expected in the region.
Beryl could bring 1 to 4 inches of rain to southeastern Puerto Rico Monday night into Tuesday.
Beryl is the first hurricane expected in the extraordinary 2024 season. Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the season, has killed at least four people after making landfall in Mexico on June 20. A tropical storm is a major hurricane.
By Thursday evening, the hurricane center named the third tropical storm of the season. Tropical Storm Chris developed in the Bay of Campeche at 11 p.m., about 105 miles southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico
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Third earliest major Atlantic hurricane on record
Phil Klotzbach, a senior research scientist at Colorado State University, said that as Beryl strengthens, it is setting multiple records. They include:
∎ First major June hurricane on record east of the Lesser Antilles.
∎ The third earliest major Atlantic hurricane on record, after Alma on June 8, 1966, and Audrey on June 27, 1957.
∎ Beryl is now the earliest Category 4 hurricane ever recorded. The current record is held by Hurricane Dennis, which was upgraded to Category 4 on July 8, 2005.
Look at the beryl eyes:Hurricane Beryl concerns NOAA satellites
Will Hurricane Beryl hit the United States?
It is too early this week to determine the path and intensity of Beryl Storm as it reaches the western half of the Caribbean and whether it will impact the U.S. Gulf Coast. The hurricane center expects Beryl to remain a hurricane when it reaches Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Friday.
But forecasters warned U.S. residents to remain vigilant. “Currently, the most likely scenario is for the storm to move westward into Mexico; however, it is important to note that if high pressure over the Southeast weakens, this could allow the storm to move further north and potentially directly impact the Gulf Coast,” AccuWeather said chief hurricane forecaster Alex DaSilva.
Tropical Storm Chris
Tropical Depression 3 formed Sunday afternoon in the southern Gulf of Mexico about 185 miles east-southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico, with sustained winds of 35 mph. By Sunday evening, it had become the third tropical storm of the season, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.
The storm is expected to weaken and dissipate as it moves inland into Mexico on Monday. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Cabo Rojo to Puerto Veracruz.
“Chris will begin to weaken after landfall and may dissipate late Monday,” the National Hurricane Center said in an 11 p.m. report.
The system is expected to bring heavy rainfall and possible flooding to parts of eastern Mexico through Monday, according to the hurricane center. Rainfall totals are expected to range from 4 to 8 inches, with maximum totals around 12 inches possible in higher areas.
Landslides are also possible in higher-lying areas of the Mexican states of Guanajuato, Queretaro and San Luis Potosí.
“Due to this threat, the Mexican government has issued a tropical storm warning for parts of the Gulf Coast,” AccuWeather said. “Heavy rain and gusty winds have begun moving into Mexico starting Sunday afternoon and will continue into Monday.”
What is rapid reinforcement?
Rapid intensification is the process by which a storm accelerates its growth: a phenomenon generally defined as a tropical cyclone (whether a tropical storm or hurricane) intensifying by at least 35 mph in a 24-hour period.
By 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Beryl had been upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130 mph. This represents an increase of 95 mph in just 42.5 hours.
“When a tropical storm or hurricane encounters extremely favorable conditions, it can intensify rapidly,” klotzbach says. “Typically, this environment consists of very warm ocean water, low vertical wind shear, and high levels of mid-level humidity.”
Life-threatening storm surge, possible flooding
Large waves from Cyclone Beryl will begin to reach the Windward and Southern Leeward Islands later on Sunday and could trigger life-threatening waves and rip currents. The hurricane center said that when the hurricane arrives on Monday, the storm surge may be 6 to 9 feet above normal tide levels, bringing “huge and damaging waves” to the coast.
The rainfall could lead to flooding, with 3 to 6 inches of rainfall expected in Barbados and the Windward Islands from Sunday night into Monday. In remote areas, especially in the Grenadines, it can reach up to 10 inches.
Given the uncertainty in the forecast, the hurricane center urges anyone living in the central and western Caribbean to monitor the storm's progress.
What are the Windward Islands?
The Windward Islands are a group of Caribbean islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea. They include Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are sometimes included in this group.
They are called the “windward islands” – meaning from a given point upwards – because they are better suited to arriving ships than the leeward islands.
What’s the outlook for the 2024 hurricane season?
Federal forecasters predict this hurricane season will be unlike any other, with as many as 25 named storms possible.
This is the largest number of storms forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in its preseason outlook. “All the ingredients are in place for an active season,” National Weather Service Administrator Ken Graham said in May.
NOAA Director Rick Spinrad said the Atlantic hurricane season is going to be “extraordinary” – with an 85% chance of an above-average year. “This forecast … is the highest May outlook NOAA has ever issued,” he said.
View the path of Hurricane Beryl
Current weather advisory in the United States
Update: Doyle Rice and Mike Snyder, USA Today.
