Hurricane Beryl strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm over the weekend as it made its way toward the southeast Caribbean.
Hurricane Beryl is now the second named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and quickly strengthened from a tropical depression into a tropical storm and then a hurricane – all within 24 hours.
Not only is Hurricane Beryl intense, but it’s also made history.
Hurricane Beryl intensified from a tropical depression into a major Category 3 hurricane in less than 48 hours, a feat never before achieved earlier than September.
And according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane expert at Colorado State University, Hurricane Beryl became the first major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger) on record east of the Lesser Antilles during the month of June.
Hurricane Beryl also became the Atlantic Basin’s earliest Category 4 hurricane on record. According to Klotzbach, the previous record for the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record was Hurricane Dennis, which reached Category 4 strength on July 8, 2005.
As of the latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the maximum sustained winds were at 130 mph, and the minimum central pressure plummeted to 960 millibars.
