Hurricane Beryl has strengthened into what experts are calling an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm as it approaches the southeastern Caribbean, which began closing in on Sunday amid urgent pleas from government officials for people to take shelter.
Hurricane warnings were in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Sabo Best, director of the Barbados Meteorological Service, said Beryl's center was expected to pass about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Barbados on Monday morning.
“This is an extremely dangerous situation developing in the Windward Islands,” the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned, adding that Beryl is expected to “bring life-threatening winds and destructive storm surges.”
Beryl was located about 335 miles (570 kilometers) east-southeast of Barbados. It had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h) and was moving west at 21 mph (33 km/h). It is a compact storm, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 15 miles (30 kilometers) from its center.
Beryl is expected to pass south of Barbados early Monday and then head into the Caribbean Sea as a major hurricane on its way toward Jamaica. It is expected to weaken by mid-week, but is still a hurricane as it heads toward Mexico.
Historic Hurricane Beryl strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane Sunday morning, becoming the first major hurricane east of the Lesser Antilles on record in June, according to Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University.
It took Beryl just 42 hours to transform from a tropical depression into a major hurricane, a feat achieved only six times in Atlantic hurricane history, with Sept. 1 being the earliest, according to hurricane expert Sam Lillo.
Beryl is now the first Category 4 hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean, beating Hurricane Dennis, which became a Category 4 storm on July 8, 2005, said hurricane and storm expert Michael Lowry.
“Beryl is a very dangerous hurricane that is rare for this time of year in this area. To call it unusual is an understatement. Beryl is already a historic hurricane and has not hit the area yet,” he said in a phone interview.
Hurricane Ivan in 2004 was the last strong hurricane to hit the southeastern Caribbean, causing catastrophic damage in Grenada as a Category 3 storm.
“So this is a serious threat, a very serious threat,” Lowry said of Beryl.
Resia Marshall, who lives in Grenada, was working the Sunday shift at a local hotel, preparing guests and urging them to stay away from windows as she stocked enough food and water for everyone.
She said she was a child when Hurricane Ivan hit, and that she's not afraid of Beryl.
“I know it's part of nature, and I'm OK with that,” she said. “We just have to live with this.”
Meteorologists warned of a life-threatening storm surge of up to 9 feet (3 meters) in areas where Hurricane Beryl is expected to make landfall, with up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain expected in Barbados and nearby islands.
Long lines formed at gas stations and grocery stores in Barbados and other islands, as people rushed to prepare for a record-breaking storm that quickly intensified from a tropical storm with winds of 35 mph (56 kph) on Friday to a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday. .
Warm waters were fueling the beryl, as ocean heat content in the deep Atlantic was the highest on record for this time of year, according to Brian McNoldy, a tropical meteorologist at the University of Miami. Lowry said the waters are now warmer than they were at the height of hurricane season in September.
Beryl marks the easternmost point at which a tropical Atlantic hurricane has formed in June, breaking a record set in 1933, according to Klotzbach.
“Please take this seriously and prepare,” said Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. “This is a terrible hurricane.”
Prepare for the storm
Thousands of people gathered in Barbados for the final of the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup on Saturday, the biggest event in cricket, and Prime Minister Mia Mottley said not all fans were able to leave on Sunday although many were quick to change flights.
“Some of them have never been through a storm before,” she said. “We have plans to take care of them.”
Mottley said all businesses should close Sunday evening, and warned that the airport would close by nightfall.
Those without shelter tend to believe they can weather storms because they have done it before, Kemar Safri, president of a Barbadian group aiming to end homelessness, said in a video posted on social media on Saturday night.
“I don't want that to be the approach they take,” he said, warning that Beryl was a dangerous storm and urging Barbadians to direct homeless people to shelter.
Wilfred Abrahams, the Minister for Home Affairs and Information, supported the comments.
“I need Barbadians at this point to be their brother’s keeper,” he said. “Some people are at risk.”
Meanwhile, St. Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre announced a national lockdown on Sunday evening and said schools and businesses would remain closed on Monday.
“Preserving and protecting life is a priority,” he added.
looking forward
Caribbean leaders were bracing not only for Beryl, but also for a cluster of thunderstorms that would follow the hurricane and have a 70 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression.
“Don't let your guard down,” Motley said.
Beryl is the second storm in what is expected to be an above-average hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30 in the Atlantic Ocean. Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Alberto came ashore in northeastern Mexico with heavy rains that killed four people.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects the 2024 hurricane season to be above average, with between 17 and 25 named storms. The forecast calls for up to 13 hurricanes and four major hurricanes.
The average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of which are hurricanes and three are major hurricanes.
