(Bridgetown) L’ouragan Beryl strengthened further on Sunday and is moving towards the Caribbean with “extremely dangerous” winds exceeding 200 km/h, carrying “potentially fatal” risks for islands in the Antilles.
Published at 1:30 p.m.
Updated at 7:54 p.m.
Chandan KHANNA
France Media Agency
Béryl, which had gone from tropical storm to hurricane overnight, is now classified in category 4, announced the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami (United States), which is the reference.
The NHC warned that Beryl, which was moving about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Barbados Sunday night with winds of at least 130 mph (209 kph) at the time, would remain an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane” when it makes landfall on several Caribbean islands later Monday.
A hurricane watch is in effect for the islands of Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.
“All preparations must be made today,” the NHC added, urging residents to listen to local authorities and emergency services officials.
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) have been recorded in years before the first week of July. If Beryl actually becomes a major hurricane, it will be the sixth, and the earliest of those ever recorded also in the east,” explains hurricane expert Michael Lowry on X.
Stores stormed
On Saturday, Martinique, Dominica and the island of Tobago were placed on tropical storm watch.
PHOTO RAMON ESPINOSA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Residents cover the windows of their homes in anticipation of the arrival of the hurricane Beryl in Bridgetown, Barbados.
In Barbados, gas stations were stormed by motorists stocking up on petrol before the storm hit.
Supermarkets and small grocery stores were filled with shoppers stocking up on water, food and other essentials, while residents everywhere were seen nailing boards to their windows to protect them.
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.
The 2024 hurricane season is also announced by Météo France as one of the “most intense” in this area.
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, such as hurricanes, more frequent and more devastating.
