Much of the southeastern Caribbean is on alert for Hurricane Beryl, the first of the 2024 season, which was located late Saturday afternoon about 1,350 km southeast of the French island of Martinique, according to U.S. and French weather authorities.
Beryl, which is currently moving in the Atlantic Ocean, is located about 955 kilometers east of Barbados, and will become a “dangerous major hurricane” when it reaches the Windward Islands late Sunday or Monday, warned the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami (United States), which is the reference for the Atlantic basin.
Barbados has been placed on a cyclone warning, while St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada have all been placed on a cyclone watch, the NHC said in its latest advisory. Tropical storm warnings or watches are in effect for Martinique, Tobago and Dominica.
Global warming is making extreme weather events, like hurricanes, more frequent and more devastating.
In Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, cars queued at gas stations, while supermarkets and grocery stores were packed with shoppers buying food, water and more. Some residents began protecting their homes.
“Atmospheric and oceanic conditions are favorable for its continued intensification over the next two days: Beryl should reach the stage of a major hurricane before passing over the Lesser Antilles,” indicated the Météo France website at 5:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. GMT).
The centre of the storm is expected to pass between Grenada, the southernmost island, and Saint Lucia, the northernmost island, during the day on Monday, according to French weather services.
Wind gusts, heavy precipitation
According to the NHC, “wind gusts will reach a maximum of 100 km/h with higher gusts being stronger.”
“Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning zone beginning Sunday evening,” it said, warning of potentially deadly heavy rain, flooding, winds and storm surges. , which could raise water levels up to 2.1 meters above normal.
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.
“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 anticipated.
Waves of 5 metres are expected in the Saint Lucia Channel, south of the French island.
The 2024 hurricane season is announced by Météo France as “one of the most intense years”. 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.
