“Lives in danger”
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, United States, which is the reference, warned that the category 4 hurricane Beryl, which was evolving Sunday evening about 400 kilometers southeast of Barbados, with winds blowing at least 209 km/h, would remain an “extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane” when it reaches the coasts of several Caribbean islands, during the day on Monday. It will bring “catastrophic winds, potentially deadly storm surges and destructive waves”, warned the NHC.
Beryl could bring winds of more than 215 km/h, said Shakeer Baig, director of the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service, who stressed that “Béryl is a hurricane that can put lives at risk.”
Extremely rare
A weather event of this scale is extremely rare so early in the hurricane season – which runs from early June to late November in the United States.
“Only five major hurricanes (force 3 or greater) were recorded in the Atlantic before the first week of July. If Béryl does indeed become a major hurricane, it will be the sixth, and the earliest, ever recorded so far in the east,” hurricane expert Michael Lowry explains on X.
Who is he threatening?
A hurricane watch is in effect for the islands of Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. In Barbados, gas stations were stormed by motorists stocking up on gasoline before the storm arrived. Supermarkets and small grocery stores were filled with customers stocking up on water, food and other essentials, while almost everywhere residents could be seen nailing boards in front of their windows to protect them.
On Saturday, Martinique, Dominica and the island of Tobago were placed on tropical storm watch. A state of emergency has been declared on the island of Tobago, the second largest island and tourist attraction in the Trinidad and Tobago archipelago. “All public and private schools are closed and will remain closed until further notice,” said the island’s chief executive, Farley Augustine.
In the Dominican Republic, authorities have put the entire southern coast on alert, according to a statement from the Emergency Operations Center (COE), advising against going to beaches or crossing waterways.
After crossing the Caribbean, Béryl could reach the Mexican state of Quintana Roo (east) on Tuesday evening, where the seaside resorts of Cancun and Riviera Maya are located.
“Most intense” season
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted an extraordinary season in late May, predicting the possibility of four to seven Category 3 or higher hurricanes.
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The 2024 hurricane season is also announced by Météo-France as one of the “most intense” in this area. These forecasts are notably linked to the expected development of the La Nina weather phenomenon in the near future, as well as very high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, NOAA said.
