Category 5 Hurricane Beryl rewrites the record books

A harbinger of what could be an overactive Atlantic season, Hurricane Beryl has rewritten the record books since its formation.

Hurricane Beryl continues to break records as it barrels through the Caribbean. On Monday night, it strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane and became the earliest storm to reach this rare benchmark. The record was previously held by Emily, which reached Category 5 status on July 16 during the overactive 2005 Atlantic hurricane season.

The storm caused major damage on Carriacou island. About 40 miles from landfall on the southern edge of the island of Grenada, the island's only official weather station reported a wind gust to 121 mph.

Beryl began to break records as soon as it formed

Tropical storms in June typically form in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and the southwestern Atlantic. Beryl became a tropical storm across the tropical Atlantic, farther east than where storms usually form. Only Tropical Storm Bret in 2023 developed farther east in the tropical Atlantic in June.

The storm was the first major hurricane, Category 3 or greater, to form in the Atlantic before the July Fourth holiday since 1966, when Hurricane Alma developed on June 8.

Hurricane Beryl became the first major hurricane east of the Lesser Antilles in June. It is also the third-earliest major hurricane overall, with Hurricane Alma (6/8/1966) and Audrey (6/27/1957) ahead of Beryl.

Before Beryl, the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record was Hurricane Dennis on July 8, 2005. In becoming a Category 4 hurricane Sunday, Beryl became the only hurricane to achieve that mark in recorded history during the month of June.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 150 mph at a latitude of 12.5 degrees north Monday, Beryl became the strongest hurricane on record that far south in the Atlantic in recorded history.

Hurricane Beryl is also a fast-mover. For a six-hour period, the storm is the fastest moving Category 5 storm on record.

Before Beryl, the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record was Hurricane Emily on July 16, 2005.

Hurricane Beryl became the 12th Category 5 hurricane on record in the eastern Caribbean, joining the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane (1928); Carol (1953); Inez (1966); David (1979); Allen (1980); Ivan (2004); Dean (2007); Felix (2007); Matthew (2016); Irma (2017); and Maria (2017).