JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Beryl developed into a Category 1 hurricane late Saturday afternoon, becoming the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic tropical season, according to the National Hurricane Center. This storm is not an immediate threat to the First Coast.
Beryl is expected to quickly intensify and become a major Category 3 hurricane by the time it approaches the Windward Islands Sunday night. Life-threatening winds and storm surges are possible.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Barbados. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for St Lucia, St. Vincent the Grenadine Islands and Grenada. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Martinique, Dominica and Tobago.
At 5 p.m. Saturday, the center of Hurricane Beryl was located 720 miles ESE of Barbados. Beryl is moving quickly toward the west near 22 mph. The center of Beryl is expected to move across the Windward Islands late Sunday night and Monday.
Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75 mph with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 10 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles.
Models currently take Beryl to the western Caribbean and near the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf.
There are two other systems we’re watching in the Tropics. For more information, read our Talkin’ Tropics story.
