Hurricane watches issued as Tropical Storm Beryl continues to strengthen

Tropical Storm Beryl formed in the Atlantic Ocean Friday afternoon and is rapidly gaining hurricane strength, the National Hurricane Center said .

A hurricane watch was issued for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands as Beryl is expected to strengthen into a Category 2 storm before reaching the island.

Beryl was located about 975 miles east-southeast of Barbados on Saturday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. It was moving west at 23 mph.

The National Hurricane Center says Beryl is one of the earliest storms to ever form over the central or eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean. Favorable atmospheric conditions and unusually warm ocean waters are expected to contribute to the storm's growth, potentially into a major hurricane.