Hurricane Beryl Expected To Strengthen As A Category 4 Hurricane Upon Arrival In Winward Islands
Hurricane Beryl and other weather disturbances (image source: National Hurricane Center)
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The National Hurricane Center said this morning, June 30, 2024, that Hurricane Beryl is “expected to be an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane when it reaches the Windward Islands early Monday, bringing destructive hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge.”
Beryl’s location this morning was 10.6N 53.9W, about 420 miles (675 km) east-south-east of Barbados.
Maximum sustained winds were reported at 115 mph (185 km/h) with a movement west or 280 degrees at 21 mph (33 km/h).
According to the National Hurricane Center, the following warnings are in place:
- A hurricane warning is in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands, Grenada and Tobago
- A tropical storm warning is effect for Martinique
- A tropical storm watch is in effect for Dominica
Heavy rainfall and flooding are expected in the Windward Islands on Sunday night and Monday.
Following Hurricane Beryl is AL96 in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic, currently located several hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.
This is moving west at 15 to 20 mph and has a 70% chance of formation as a tropical depression over the next seven days.
In addition to these systems, AL94 is expected to bring heavy rainfall to Central America and Mexico in the next couple of days. It has a 50% chance of formation over the next seven days.
It is important to note that, notwithstanding that a forecast may indicate that a weather system is moving away from an area, stakeholders in the Caribbean should not become complacent or disregard warnings. Instead, they must remain vigilant and monitor daily forecasts and announcements from their local government stations. They should also stay prepared at all times until the relevant government gives the all-clear.
More About Hurricane Categories
The National Hurricane Center provided the below information on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
According to the National Hurricane Center, “The combination of storm surge, wind, and other factors determine the hurricane’s total destructive power.”
They added:
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is designed to help determine wind hazards of an approaching hurricane easier for emergency officials. The scale is assigned five categories with Category 1 assigned to a minimal hurricane and Category 5 to a worst case scenario. Categories 3 to 5 are defined as major hurricanes. The criteria for each category are shown below. The National Hurricane Center has additional information on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
