ATLANTA — Hurricane Beryl rapidly intensified and became a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday. This is the earliest ever Cat 4 hurricane on record in the Atlantic Basin - the old record was Hurricane Dennis from July 8, 2005.
Beryl briefly weakened to a Category 3 Sunday night as it approached the Windward Islands but is now back to Category 4 strength. It is producing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph with gusts up to 150. It continues to move swiftly to the W at 20 mph.
The storm underwent rapid intensification, which is when the winds of a storm increase at least 35 miles per hour in a 24-hour period. Beryl's max winds increased 65 mph in that time frame!
The storm first became a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph Saturday at 5pm. The max winds climbed up to 115 mph by Sunday at 8 a.m., making it a Category 3 hurricane. Then by 12:30 p.m. in the afternoon, it reached the Cat 4 threshold.
Beryl is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane as it passes the Windward Islands. Once back into the open water of the Caribbean, Beryl is forecast to gradually weaken, but it is expected to remain a hurricane.
It will pass close to Jamaica Wednesday then approach Cancun, Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula by Thursday.
Hurricane Warnings are in effect for Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands, Grenada, and Tobago. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Martinique, Trinidad, and St. Lucia, and a Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for portions of the southern coast of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Additional watches and warnings may be issued as Beryl progresses west.
The storm formed in the "Main Development Region" of the tropics, a place where tropical waves come off the coast of Africa and have opportunity to develop as they cross the Atlantic. The MDR, for short, is well out in the Atlantic and is most active around the peak of hurricane season, Sept. 10. Often early in the season, large plumes of Saharan Dust can inhibit tropical formation or development.
Beryl is the second name on the list for the Atlantic Basin in the 2024 season.
