Hurricane Beryl Marks Record-Breaking Start To The Season As Officials Issue Warning

Beryl, the first named hurricane of this year’s Atlantic season, has made a historic start even before it’s due to reach the Caribbean this morning and, according to officials, it seems set to continue making its mark.

While the Atlantic hurricane season runs all the way from June 1 through to November 30, the first named hurricane usually forms in early to mid-August and the first major hurricane – Category 3 and above – between late August and early September.

Hurricane Beryl has already gone against the grain in both cases. First, it formed in late June – Friday 28 specifically, from a tropical storm. Second, it rapidly reached major hurricane status; on Sunday, its powerful winds took it into Category 4, making it the earliest storm of that strength to form in the Atlantic on record .

Although it’s now dipped back down into Category 3, Beryl is still set to be an “extremely dangerous” hurricane as it makes landfall in the Caribbean, according to the key messages of an advisory issued this morning by the National Hurricane Center.

“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 St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada beginning later this morning,” said the center.

The latest data has shown the storm has maximum sustained winds of around 195 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour), the strength of which is capable of uprooting trees and majorly damaging even well-built homes.

It’s also anticipated that the storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 1.8 to 2.7 meters (6 to 9 feet) above normal tide levels, bringing “large and destructive” waves to coastal areas, said the National Hurricane Center.

Add to that potential rainfall of 7.6 to 15.2 centimeters (3 to 6 inches), and it’s no wonder that residents in the Caribbean islands set to be hit by the hurricane first are being advised to prepare as much as possible.

“Shelter in place or evacuate to a safe location if your home is unsafe or vulnerable to flooding or wind damage. Secure food, water and medicine for at least seven days in waterproof containers. Outdoor drains should be clear and loose objects secured by now. Sandbags should be near all entrances to your home,” warned the Trinidad & Tobago Meteorological Service early Monday morning.

Even once Beryl passes over those first islands and moves across the Caribbean Sea, it’s expected to remain a “powerful hurricane”.

While the current hurricane has already made its mark, it may not be the only one that does so this year. Back in May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service predicted that the 2024 hurricane season was likely to be an “ extraordinary one ”, with potentially four to seven major hurricanes.