It is estimated that Hurricane Beryl will turn into a ‘dangerous’ major hurricane as it approaches the Caribbean Sea.

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Beryl, the primary hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, is rapidly intensifying as it churns against Barbados and the Windward Islands, promising devastating hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge.

The National Typhoon Center says Beryl is expected to become a “dangerous major hurricane” when it reaches the Windward Islands on Sunday night or Monday. The start time of the first storm of the season is odd, as the typical lifespan of a primary storm is August 11.

Typhoon Beryl is located about 530 miles east-southeast of Barbados, moving west at 20 mph, the hurricane center noted in its 2 p.m. ET update. Life-threatening winds and storms are expected from Sunday evening.

“Destructive wind damage is expected where Beryl’s eyewall passes through parts of the Windward Islands,” the NHC said. “Life-threatening storm surge will cause water levels to rise 5 to 7 feet above normal tide levels in coastal flow areas where Beryl makes landfall in storm warning and watch areas.”

The storm is temporarily beneficial, with its winds increasing from 35 mph to 75 mph in less than 24 hours. A severe intensification is defined as a wind increase of 35 mph or greater over a 24-hour period. Beryl now has sustained winds of about 90 mph with more powerful gusts, according to a 2 a.m. ET update from the hurricane center.

“We are predicting rapid intensification and expect Beryl to become a major hurricane before reaching places such as Barbados and the Windward Islands and that it will remain a powerful hurricane as it moves across the eastern and central Caribbean because We go into the early parts of next week,” Mike Brennan, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Management Center, told CNN’s Fredrica Whitfield on Saturday.

A major hurricane is rated as a Division 3 or above level which initiates changes for “significant loss of life and damage”.

Brennan noted that citizens in playgrounds with hurricane ultimatums should be prepared for major hurricane impacts. Beryl brings the possibility of thick fog, damaging hurricane-force winds, and dangerous storm surge and waves. Consistent with Central, heavy rainfall totals of three to six inches on Sunday evening and Monday could cause localized flooding around the Windward Islands.

the storm has an ultimatum actually for barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. A tropical storm ultimatum was issued for Martinique and Tobago, and a tropical storm watch was placed for Dominica.

“Those interested in the central and western Caribbean should monitor the progress of this system,” the NHC warned Saturday.

According to Brennan, Beryl’s rapid intensity this early in the hurricane season may be very strange. It is unusual for tropical storms to reach the Central Atlantic east of the Lesser Antilles in June, especially strong ones, as only a handful have been able to do so, according to NOAA data.

The central and eastern Atlantic traditionally become more active in August, partly because ocean temperatures allow heating and gas to support life.

On the other hand, in this past, the transition from an El Niño season to a Los Angeles Niña season has seen the Atlantic basin lack traditional water temperatures and wind shear, either of which could be gasoline for tropical formation.

“Beryl’s got a very warm marine water environment for this time of year,” Brennan said.

According to Brennan, warmer waters in the Atlantic basin have caused tropical storms and hurricanes to move an additional eastward more rapidly a year, making storms more powerful and thus more destructive than before. Hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.

“These are ocean swells that you typically see in August or September, but now we’re seeing them in late June,” Brennan said. “This opens up more of the deep tropical Atlantic for formation before hurricane season reaches its traditional peak.”

Caribbean islands urge families to organize ahead of storm

The government is urging citizens to take precautionary measures as several Caribbean countries are threatened by storm surge and warned of Typhoon Beryl getting closer and gaining strength.

Barbados officials say the effects of the storm are expected to be felt on the island until Sunday night. Its meteorology providers are expecting hurricane-force winds, heavy rainfall of 3 to 6 inches, “dangerous” sea conditions and nasty storm surges that could disrupt energy utilities.

“All the routine preparations we do for the storm are in full swing,” Home Affairs and Information Minister Wilfred Abraham said in a comment. “We have less than 48 hours to expect to see the impact of this system on Barbados. Please use time very wisely.”

In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, High Minister Ralph Gonsalves warned that the storm could devastate the islands as a Division 2 hurricane by Monday morning. The weather service predicts winds of 74 to 110 mph or more and four to six inches of fog.

“Kingstown will be flooded as this storm approaches,” Gonsalves said of the capital city. “Normally, two inches of rain – sustained rain – will flood the city in a relatively short period of time. “There will be four inches of flooding in the city without a doubt.”

In Saint Lucia, the federal government warned that the storm could bring “moderate to heavy rainfall, storm surge and high winds” to the area. High Minister Philip J. Pierre is advising citizens to make critical preparations and evaluate their public disaster plans.

In Grenada, the Nationwide Emergency Control Company is urging citizens to get organized through carrying crisis supply kits, cutting down overhanging wood and branches, clearing drains and finding out where their disaster shelters are located.

According to research by Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane expert and research scientist at the University of Colorado Environment, the onset of early summer patterns in this part of the Atlantic is a sign of a more active hurricane season to come. Generally, sea temperatures in June and July are not hot enough to foster a tropical climate.

National Weather Service forecasters expect 17 to 25 named storms this season, of which 8 to 13 will develop into hurricanes, including four to seven major hurricanes.

“This is well above average,” Brennan said.

The element provider says this is due to a “confluence of factors, including near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, the development of La Niña conditions in the Pacific, reduced Atlantic trade winds and reduced wind shear, all of which favor the tropics.” Let’s build a storm.”