(Fort-de-France) Tropical storm Beryl, which was located some 1,200 km southeast of the Antilles on Saturday, is expected to strengthen to reach the force of a major hurricane before passing over these islands, the American and French meteorological authorities have warned.
“Beryl is expected to become a major hurricane before reaching the Windward Islands,” or Lesser Antilles, between Sunday evening and Monday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami (United States), the reference for the Atlantic basin, indicated in a bulletin at 2 p.m. (Eastern time) on Saturday.
According to the NHC, “maximum winds are around 100 km/h with stronger upper gusts”. A hurricane watch is in effect for the islands of Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada, while a tropical storm watch is in effect for Martinique, Dominica, and the island Tobago.
A major hurricane is a Category 3 or higher hurricane, with winds reaching 110 mph (178 km/h). Experts say such an event so early in the hurricane season — which runs from early June to late November in the United States — would be very rare.
As of Friday, the prefect of Martinique has put the departmental operational centre on the island, the French territory most threatened by the probable trajectory of the storm, on standby, his office announced.
Météo France predicts the phenomenon will pass “over the Lesser Antilles, between Tobago for the southernmost island and the south of Martinique for the northernmost island” between next Monday and Tuesday.
“It is already very likely that the sea state will be very rough from Sunday evening, and particularly during the day on Monday,” the French state services in Martinique have anticipated.
Waves of 5 metres are expected in the Saint Lucia Channel, south of the French island.
Beryl is the second tropical phenomenon named since the beginning of June in the Atlantic basin. The 2024 hurricane season is announced by Météo France as “one of the most intense years” in this area. The American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also predicted an extraordinary season at the end of May, predicting the possibility of four to seven hurricanes of category 3 or more.
These forecasts are particularly linked to the expected development of the La Nina weather phenomenon in the near future, as well as to the very high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, NOAA said.
Global warming is making extreme weather events, like hurricanes, more frequent and more devastating.