Beryl strengthens into first major hurricane in Atlantic

Beryl grew into a hurricane Saturday as it churned toward the southeastern Caribbean, with forecasters warning it was expected to strengthen into a dangerous major storm before reaching Barbados late Sunday or early Monday.

A major hurricane is considered Category 3 or higher, with winds of at least 178 kilometers per hour. On Saturday night, Beryl was a Category 1 hurricane, marking the farthest east that a hurricane formed in the tropical Atlantic in June, breaking a record set in 1933, according to Philip Klotzbach, Colorado State University hurricane researcher.

A hurricane warning was issued for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A tropical storm warning was posted for Martinique and Tobago and a tropical storm watch for Dominica.

Beryl's center was forecast to pass about 45 kilometers south of Barbados, said Sabu Best, director of the island's meteorological service. Forecasters then expect the storm to cross the Caribbean on a path toward Jamaica and eventually Mexico.

Late Saturday, Beryl was centered about 955 kilometers east-southeast of Barbados, and its maximum sustained winds had risen to 140 kilometers per hour. It was moving west at 31 kilometers per hour.

Beryl also is the strongest June tropical storm on record that far east in the tropical Atlantic, according to Klotzbach.

"We remain absolutely vigilant and need to take every precaution that is possible for ourselves, for our family and for our neighbors," Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley said in a public address Saturday night, asking that all businesses close by Sunday evening. "We do not want to put anybody's life at risk."

She noted that thousands of people are in Barbados for the Twenty20 World Cup cricket final, with India beating South Africa on Saturday in the capital of Bridgetown. It is considered cricket's biggest event.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said in a public address Saturday that shelters would open Sunday evening and he urged people to prepare. He ordered officials to refuel government vehicles and asked grocery stores and gas stations to stay open later before the storm.

Beryl is the second named storm in what is predicted to be a busy hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30 in the Atlantic. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Alberto came ashore in northeastern Mexico with heavy rains that resulted in four deaths.

U.S.'s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the 2024 hurricane season is likely to be well above average, with between 17 and 25 named storms. The forecast calls for as many as 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.

An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of them hurricanes and three major hurricanes.Beryl was expected to drop up to 15 centimeters of rain in Barbados and nearby islands, and a high surf warning of waves up to 4 meters was in effect. A storm surge of up to 2 meters was also forecast.

The storm is approaching the southeastern Caribbean just days after the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago had major flooding in the capital, Port-of-Spain, as a result of an unrelated weather event.

Caribbean leaders are not only worried about Beryl, but also about a cluster of thunderstorms closely following Beryl's path that had a 70 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression by the middle of next week.

Meanwhile, a no-name storm earlier this June dumped more than 50 centimeters of rain on parts of South Florida, stranding numerous motorists on flooded streets and pushing water into some homes in low-lying areas.