'Major' Hurricane Beryl expected to bring 'life-threatening' winds and surge to Caribbean
Editor's note: This page reflects the news of Hurricane Beryl from Saturday, June 29. Follow USA TODAY's coverage of the latest news updates on Hurricane Beryl for Monday, July 1.
Tropical Storm Beryl continued to grow stronger on Saturday night after becoming a hurricane earlier in the day and is forecast to become a dangerous major hurricane by Monday, the National Hurricane Center said.
The first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, Beryl is about 595 miles east-southeast of Barbados, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, the center said in an 11 p.m. update.
It's forecast to intensify quickly as it continues moving rapidly west at 20 mph, the center said. Reconnaissance aircraft will begin flying routine monitoring flights early on Sunday morning to gather more information about the storm's winds, position and surrounding conditions.
More: Hurricane Beryl, super-charged by warm seas, stuns experts
Hurricane warnings – meaning hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours – are in effect for Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for Martinique and Tobago, the center said.
Beryl is forecast to be a major hurricane when its center moves across the Windward Islands late Sunday night and Monday. By Monday morning, its peak winds are now expected to reach 125 mph, with higher gusts.
Beryl will bring the risk of hurricane-force winds, dangerous storm surge and waves and heavy rainfall with totals of 3 to 6 inches across Barbados and the Windward Islands Sunday night into Monday. Rainfall may lead to flooding in vulnerable areas, the center said.
The center warned on Saturday night that powerful wind gusts could be 30% higher, or more, on the tops and windward sides of hills and mountains.
Southeastern Puerto Rico may get 1 to 4 inches of rain on Monday night and into Tuesday, the center said.
"A life-threatening storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 5 to 7 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore flow near where Beryl makes landfall in the hurricane warning and watch areas," hurricane specialist John Cangialosi wrote in the center's advisory. "Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves."
Conditions in the atmosphere and ocean where Beryl is moving are “abnormally favorable for strengthening,” the hurricane center has said. Conditions appear to be less conducive after the storm enters the Caribbean, with more wind shear that may end the strengthening and cause slow weakening, the center said Saturday morning.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles from Beryl's center and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from Beryl's center, the hurricane center said.
Additional Hurricane and Tropical Storm Watches, and possibly warnings, will likely be issued for portions of the Windward and southern Leeward Islands Saturday night, the center said.
Those living in the central and western Caribbean should monitor the system's progress, the center said, noting that there is uncertainty in the forecast.
2024 Atlantic hurricane season names:: List of 2024 Atlantic hurricane season storm names starts with Alberto and Beryl
Invest 95L spaghetti models
Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.
Other potential tropical storms being monitored
The hurricane center is also monitoring two additional low pressure systems.
One is expected to form over the Bay of Campeche in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico overnight Saturday or early Sunday, where conditions could be conducive for further development, according to the center's tropical outlook. A disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands is expected to become a tropical depression by the middle of next week, while it moves generally westward across the tropical Atlantic. The center gives it a 70% chance of becoming a tropical storm over the next seven days.
Contributing: Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network-Florida
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Beryl becomes season's first hurricane
