"An "extremely dangerous" category 4 storm, Hurricane Beryl, swept across the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday evening toward the Windward Islands in the Caribbean, where it is expected to bring life-threatening winds and flash flooding on Monday, the US National Hurricane Watch Center said, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
The first hurricane of the 2024 season struck about 240 km southeast of Barbados on Sunday evening, with maximum sustained winds of 215 km/h, the center said.
"Beryl is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane as its core moves through the Windward Islands into the eastern Caribbean," the center said in a statement.
On Monday morning local time, the center of the hurricane is expected to pass through the Windward Islands as a Category 4 storm, the second strongest level on a five-step scale, causing "potentially catastrophic wind damage" to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Grenada.
It is rare for a strong hurricane to make landfall so early in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, the newspaper said. On Sunday, Beryl became the earliest-ever Category 4 hurricane, surpassing Hurricane Dennis, which became a Category 4 on July 8, 2005, according to the US Hurricane Watch Center.
Hurricane warnings have been issued for Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Tobago. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for Dominica, Trinidad, and parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The authorities and residents of the Caribbean islands were preparing for the arrival of the storm.
According to the authorities, Tobago opened shelters, closed schools for Monday, and canceled planned surgeries in hospitals.
The hurricane is expected to bring 8 to 15 cm of rain to Barbados and the Windward Islands during the day on Monday, which, as the US Hurricane Watch Center warned, could cause flash flooding in vulnerable areas.
Large dangerous waves are expected to hit the southern coasts of Puerto Rico and Española.
Addendum
In May, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic in 2024, in part due to near-record high ocean temperatures.