Hurricane Beryl, a powerful Category 4 storm, made landfall on Monday, July 1, 2024, in the Caribbean island of Carriacou in Grenada. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a hurricane warning for Barbados, Grenada, Tobago, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines, with Jamaica under a hurricane watch. Tropical storm warnings were in place for Martinique, Trinidad, St. Lucia, and parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Beryl is churning towards the southeast Caribbean and has already reached 140 mph in maximum sustained winds. As of 11 a.m., the storm was located 35 miles northeast of Grenada and 15 miles east-southeast of Carriacou Island, moving west-northwest at 20 mph.
Residents of the affected areas are advised to remain in their shelters and not venture out in the eye of the storm. The storm is expected to pass just south of Barbados early Monday and then head into the Caribbean Sea as a major hurricane, potentially causing catastrophic damage in Grenada. The hurricane is expected to weaken by midweek but remain a hurricane as it heads towards Jamaica.
This is a rare and dangerous hurricane for this time of year, and it is only the third Category 3 hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic in June. It is also the farthest east a hurricane has formed in June, with ocean heat content in the deep Atlantic the highest on record for this time of year. Forecasters warn of a life-threatening storm surge of up to 9 feet in areas where Beryl will make landfall, with up to 6 inches of rain for Barbados and nearby islands.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, and Beryl is the second named storm of the season. Tropical Storm Alberto brought torrential flooding to southern Texas and northeastern Mexico last week, causing at least four deaths in Mexico.
In preparation for the storm, long lines have formed at gas stations and grocery stores in affected areas as people rush to prepare. Caribbean leaders are also preparing for a cluster of thunderstorms trailing the hurricane that have a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression.
