Hurricane Beryl strengthens to Category 4 storm

Reuters Videos
37,377 次觀看・3 個月前

STORY: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN UPDATED TO CONFIRM BERYL STRENGTHENING TO A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Sunday that Hurricane Beryl had become a very dangerous Category 4 storm as it neared the Caribbean, the first major hurricane of the 2024 season.

New projection maps showed the hurricane barreling toward Barbados, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph.

The forecaster said Beryl is expected to hit the Windward islands late Sunday night, bringing life-threatening winds and storm surge that could raise water levels by up to 9 feet above normal.

Hurricane warnings have been issued in Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent as well as the Grenadine Islands, Grenada and Tobago.

It's rare for a major hurricane to appear this early in the Atlantic hurricane season.

Last month, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted "above-normal hurricane activity" this year, in part due to near-record warm ocean temperatures.

According to National Hurricane Center data, Beryl on Sunday became the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record.