Florida - Monday July 1, 2024: A dangerous and extremely powerful Hurricane Beryl made landfall Monday on the Caribbean island of Carriacou after becoming the earliest storm of Category 4 strength to form in the Atlantic, fueled by record warm waters.
Winds up to 150 mph (240 kph), just shy of a Category 5 storm, blew off roofs, uprooted trees and caused other damage on Carriacou, one of the islands of Grenada, and elsewhere in the southeast Caribbean.
“This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the National Hurricane Center said.
Hurricane warnings were in effect for Barbados, Grenada, Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines as thousands of people hunkered down in homes and shelters. The last strong hurricane to hit the southeast Caribbean was Hurricane Ivan 20 years ago, which killed dozens of people in Grenada.
NHC - Hurricane Beryl - as of 8 AM Monday
Hurricane Beryl is centered near 11.7N 59.9W at 01/0900 UTC or 110 nm ESE of Grenada, moving W at 17 kt. Estimated minimum central pressure is 965 mb. Maximum sustained wind speed is 105 kt with gusts to 130 kt. Peak seas are currently around 38 ft.
Numerous moderate to strong convection is noted within 150 nm in the E semicircle and 120 nm in the W semicircle. A band of scattered moderate isolated strong convection is present between 120 nm and 330 nm in the NW quadrant. A continued quick westward to west-northwestward motion is expected during the next few days. On the forecast track, the center of Beryl is expected to move across the Windward Islands this morning and across the southeastern and central Caribbean Sea late today through Wednesday.
Beryl is now a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Fluctuations in strength are likely during the next day or so, but Beryl is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane as its core moves through the Windward Islands into the eastern Caribbean. Some weakening is expected in the central Caribbean by midweek, though Beryl is forecast to remain a hurricane. Heavy rainfall and localized flooding are expected across the Windward Islands today.
Large swells generated by Beryl are expected across Windward and southern Leeward Islands during the next couple of days. Swells are also expected to reach the southern coasts of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola in the next day or so. These swells are expected to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Tropical Depression Chris
The Hurricane Center has also issued advisories on Tropical Depression Chris, located inland over eastern Mexico.
Tropical Storm Chris is centered near 20.1N 97.2W at 01/0900 UTC or 60 nm SSE of Tuxpan Mexico, moving W at 10 kt. Estimated minimum central pressure is 1005 mb.
Maximum sustained wind speed is 35 kt with gusts to 45 kt. Peak seas are currently around 13 ft. Numerous moderate isolated strong convection is noted from 14N to 23N between 90W and 100W.
On the forecast track, the center of Chris will continue farther inland over eastern Mexico through today. Weakening is expected as Chris moves farther inland, and the system will likely dissipate over the higher terrain later today.
Heavy rainfall will result in areas of flooding across portions of eastern Mexico this morning, with mudslides possible in areas of higher terrain.
Central Tropical Atlantic - Invest 96-L:
Showers and thunderstorms continue in association with an area of low pressure located over 1000 miles east-southeast of the Windward Islands.
Environmental conditions appear marginally conducive for additional development of this system, and a tropical depression could form by the middle part of this week while it moves generally westward at 15 to 20 mph across the central and western tropical Atlantic.
Interests in the Lesser Antilles should monitor the progress of this system.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...30 percent.
* Formation chance through 7 days...medium...60 percent.
