Hurricane "Beryl" threatens to devastate Caribbean states
With unrelenting speed, Hurricane "Beryl" threatens to sweep over the Caribbean islands towards the Mexican tourist hotspot of Cancun. The storm's strength is unusually high at this time. Everywhere along its path, residents are making preparations to secure their property.
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season is moving closer to several small Caribbean islands. The dangerous storm is traveling with sustained winds of up to 215 kilometers per hour and is expected to reach parts of the Windward Islands today. After weakening temporarily, it has been upgraded once again to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the eye of the hurricane was located 125 kilometers east of Grenada and 165 kilometers south-southeast of St. Vincent at 11:00 a.m. local time (15:00 UTC). Meteorologists at the US National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, are warning of life-threatening winds and heavy storm surges.
Hurricane warnings are currently in effect for the islands of Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Tobago. Tropical storm warnings are also in effect for Martinique and Trinidad.
"If this hurricane hits us as predicted (...), we will suffer significant losses and damages, not just for individual families but for the country as a whole," said Ralph Gonsalves, the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in a national address. "May God guide and protect us all." The Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Philip Pierre, posted on Facebook, "I am calling for a national standstill."
A historically strong storm in the region since 1933
Weather experts are speaking of a historic hurricane. Hurricane researcher Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University stated that no hurricane has formed this far east in the Atlantic since 1933. "Beryl" developed in just 42 hours. The unusually high water temperatures in the Atlantic allowed it to strengthen before it even reached the warm Caribbean.
In less than 24 hours, "Beryl" went from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour on Sunday. Meteorologists are warning of a storm surge up to three meters high. Barbados and the surrounding islands could receive up to 150 liters of rain per square meter. "Beryl is now the earliest Atlantic Category 4 hurricane on record, surpassing Hurricane Dennis, which became a Category 4 hurricane on July 8, 2005," wrote hurricane and storm surge expert Michael Lowry on the platform X.
Hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific are named every year according to alphabetical lists. The extremely strong "Beryl" is therefore only the second storm of the season, which begins in the Atlantic on June 1 and in the Pacific on May 15. A hurricane is defined as winds of 119 kilometers per hour or more, and the highest category - 5 - begins at 251 kilometers per hour.
The Atlantic hurricane season could be unusually strong this year
According to the US National Weather Service's prediction, the Atlantic hurricane season could be unusually active this year. Factors contributing to this include above-average water temperatures in the Atlantic and the expected onset of "La Niña," a phase of cooler water in the Pacific.
Tropical hurricanes form over warm ocean water. Earth warming increases the likelihood of strong storms. Often, hurricanes gain strength as they move over the sea. However, they quickly lose power over land due to the lack of a supply of moist air masses.
According to current forecasts, "Beryl" is expected to continue moving further westward through the Caribbean Sea after leaving the Lesser Antilles behind. Mexican forecasts indicate that it may approach the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, including the popular beach destinations of Cancun and Playa del Carmen, by Thursday.
The International community is closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane "Beryl," with concerns for several Caribbean and Central American nations in its path. The unprecedented strength of this hurricane, categorized as a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, has prompted weather advisories and warnings for various islands, including Barbados, St. Lucia, and Martinique.
