Hurricane Beryl takes aim at Windward Islands as Category 4 storm

July 1 (UPI) -- A hurricane warning remained in place for five Caribbean islands as Hurricane Beryl steams through the Atlantic Ocean with the storm expected to make landfall as a dangerous Category 4 storm on Monday morning.

The National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. EDT update that Beryl was located 70 miles east of Grenada and 90 miles south-southeast of St. Vincent, carrying maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and traveling west-northwest at 20 mph.

The NHC said hurricane-force winds from Beryl extended 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds could be felt up to 125 miles from the center. The storm continued to track west on Monday morning at 20 mph.

"A continued quick westward to the west-northwestward motion is expected during the next few days," the center said. "On the forecast track, the center of Beryl is expected to move across the WindwardvIslands [Monday morning] and across the southeastern and central Caribbean Seavlate [Monday] through Wednesday."

While forecasters are predicting some weakening as the storm moves into the central Caribbean, they believe the storm will continue to remain a strong hurricane.

Beryl had slightly weakened to a Category 3 storm with winds of 120 mph, before strengthening again to a Category 4.

"This is a very dangerous situation and residents in these areas should listen to local government and emergency management officials for any preparedness and/or evacuation orders," the NHC said.

"Potentially catastrophic hurricane-force winds, a life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected when Beryl passes over portions of the Windward Islands with the highest risk of the core in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada beginning early Monday morning."

A hurricane warning was in effect for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands, Grenada and Tobago.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Martinique, Trinidad and St. Lucia and a tropical storm watch was in effect or the south coast of the Dominican Republic from Punta Palenque westward to the border with Haiti and the south coast of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Anse d'Hainault.

"Beryl is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves across the Caribbean Sea later this week," it said.

The United States is not expected to be impacted by the storm.

Beryl is the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record in the Atlantic and the only Category 4 storm ever recorded in June.

Only seven named storms have formed over the last 173 years in this sector of the Atlantic before July 4, according to Accuweather .

Alberto , the first tropical storm of the season, made landfall over Mexico on June 20 and then pummeled Texas the next day with rain.

Tropical Storm Chis, the third named storm of the season, made landfall in eastern Mexico late Sunday.