Caribbean braces itself for ‘extremely dangerous’ Hurricane Beryl

Bridgetown, Barbados - Much of the south-east Caribbean was on alert on June 30 as Beryl strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, with forecasters warning of an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm.

The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said Beryl – currently churning in the Atlantic Ocean about 750km east of Barbados – was expected to bring “life-threatening winds and storm surge” when it reaches the Windward Islands early on July 1.

Warning that the storm is “continuing to rapidly intensify”, the NHC forecast it would become an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane” by the time it hit Caribbean communities.

Barbados, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada were all under hurricane warnings, while tropical storm warnings or watches were in effect for Martinique, Tobago and Dominica, the NHC said in its latest advisory.

Cars were seen lined up at petrol stations on June 29 in the Barbadian capital Bridgetown, while supermarkets and grocery stores were crowded with shoppers buying food, water and other supplies. Some households were already boarding up their properties.

A Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale is considered a major hurricane, and a Category 4 storm packs sustained winds of at least 209km per hour.

The NHC said that by around 5am (0900 GMT) on June 30, Beryl’s maximum sustained winds had increased to nearly 160kmh, with higher gusts.

Such a powerful storm forming this early in the Atlantic hurricane season – which runs from early June to late November – is extremely rare, experts said.

“Only five major (Category 3+) hurricanes have been recorded in the Atlantic before the first week of July. Beryl would be the sixth and earliest this far east in the tropical Atlantic,” hurricane expert Michael Lowry posted on social media platform X.

“Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area beginning early on Monday (July 1),” the NHC said, warning of heavy rain, flooding and storm surge that could raise water levels as much as 2.7m above normal.

“Devastating wind damage is expected where the eyewall of Beryl moves through portions of the Windward Islands,” the NHC said, indicating wind speeds in some locations could be 30 per cent stronger than those listed in their advisory.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in late May that it expects 2024 to be an “extraordinary” hurricane season, with up to seven storms of Category 3 or higher.

The agency cited warm Atlantic ocean temperatures and conditions related to the weather phenomenon La Nina in the Pacific for the expected increase in storms.

Extreme weather events including hurricanes have become more frequent and more devastating in recent years as a result of climate change. AFP