Summary

Hurricane Beryl, now a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds, is set to hit the Windward Islands tonight or early Monday, marking the earliest major hurricane in the Atlantic in 58 years. Experts attribute this early storm to warm Atlantic waters and reduced wind shear. Barbados, Saint Lucia, and other islands have issued warnings and precautions for heavy rainfall, strong winds, and storm surges, affecting regional events like the T20 World Cup. Beryl's rapid intensification underscores concerns for a turbulent hurricane season ahead.

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For those who read...

Welcome to this episode of Current2 Deeper Dives! My name is Jake and today we will be talking about Hurricane Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season. And boy it’s a big one. The storm intensified on Sunday, now categorized as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds up to 130 miles per hour. Hurricane Beryl is expected to reach the Windward Islands late Sunday night, or early on Monday.

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Hurricane Beryl is the earliest major hurricane in the Atlantic in 58 years and the only Category 4 storm ever recorded in the month of June. Hurricane Beryl is the third earliest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, following Hurricane Alma in 1996 and Hurricane Audrey in 1957. On average, the first hurricane every year happens during early to mid August, making the timing of Hurricane Beryl particularly unusual. Experts blame the early onset of hurricane season on elevated water temperatures in the Atlantic and a lack of wind shear due to the transition from El Niño season to La Niña season.

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Yesterday afternoon, the hurricane was just over 300 miles southeast of Barbados and heading west. Officials have warned those in Hurricane Beryl’s path to prepare for heavy rainfall, destructive winds, and dangerous storm surges and waves. Hurricane’s of this size and intensity have the potential to raise water levels by six to nine feet and cause dangerous waves along coasts, with anywhere from three to six inches of rain expected throughout the Windward Islands late Sunday night through Monday morning.

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Hurricane warnings went into effect yesterday for Barbados, Grenada, Tobago, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadine Islands. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Martinique and tropical storm watches are in place in Dominica and Trinidad as these islands are also expected to see stormy conditions from the hurricane.

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In Barbados, residents and government officials are bracing for the hurricane’s impact, as the center of Hurricane Beryl is expected to pass about 75 miles south of the island sometime early Monday morning. The island’s prime minister urged all non-essential businesses to close by 8 p.m Sunday, and warned visitors to the island, many of whom came to watch the T20 World Cup for cricket that took place this weekend.

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Saint Lucia, another island nation bracing for Beryl’s arrival, is taking similar measures. Their prime minister instated a national shutdown starting at 8:30 pm last night. Schools and businesses remain closed today and the government urged residents to stay inside until the storm has passed.

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It took Beryl only 42 hours to grow from a tropical depression to a major hurricane, the question is do you think this is the start of a bad hurricane season, or just a bad start to to the season. Thanks for listening to this Current2 Deeper Dive! Always a pleasure for us to get these done, we hope you enjoy listening.

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Sources:

Hurricane Beryl intensifies into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm (CNN)

Beryl expected to bring life-threatening conditions to Caribbean (NBC)

Hurricane Beryl becomes “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm as it nears Caribbean islands (CBS)