Hurricane Beryl will be crossing the Lesser Antilles and entering the Eastern Caribbean today. At the moment, it is a powerful Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130mph. Beryl is poised to bring catastrophic hurricane-force winds, a life-threatening storm surge, and damaging waves to the Windward Islands as it passes. Hurricane warnings are in effect for Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Tobago. Tropical Storm warnings are in effect for Martinique and Trinidad. 

After potentially strengthening more today, Beryl is then expected to undergo some weakening as it traverses across the central and western Caribbean Sea. From there, Beryl would likely pass near or through the Yucatan Peninsula. The 11 pm advisory now shows Beryl potentially re-emerging into the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm.

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Invest 96L has a high (70%) chance of formation over the next seven days. If this system forms, it would initially take a similar path to Beryl into the Eastern Caribbean. However, conditions in this area do not appear as favorable for strengthening as they were for Beryl. Most models do not strengthen Invest 96L into a hurricane in the Caribbean Sea. The next name assigned to any tropical storm or hurricane would be “Debby”.

Tropical Storm Chris formed in the Gulf of Mexico late Sunday night.

Chris will be a short-lived system that quickly dissipates as it pushes onshore early this morning. Heavy rain, tropical storm force winds, and mudslides will be possible across eastern Mexico today. Chris will bring no impacts to the United States.

Hurricane Beryl is now at Category 3 strength after the storm quickly intensified over the last 24 hours. Sustained winds are now 115mph as the storm spins about 400 miles east-southeast of Barbados.

The storm has developed an eye and deep convection is becoming more organized around the storm’s center this morning, a sign of the storm strengthening.

As Beryl spins over very warm Atlantic waters, it is forecast to become a Category 4 hurricane when it reaches the Windward Islands early Monday. All conditions are favorable for additional strengthening before impacting land.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward about 15 miles from the center, while tropical-storm-force winds extend out about 80 miles.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for:

• Barbados
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands
• Grenada
• Tobago

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for: Martinique. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for: Dominica

Once Beryl enters the Caribbean, the storm will encounter stronger wind shear which will likely cause the hurricane to weaken through mid-week. But at this point, forecasts still call for it to maintain Category 2 strength.

Hurricane Beryl is moving mostly due west at a quick 21mph. With a strong ridge just north of Beryl, steering flow will keep the storm on a mainly westward path through the Caribbean.

Model guidance is in pretty good agreement over the storm’s track, with a few outliers showing a slightly more NW track.

This is a rare storm for this point in the season and is already breaking records. Beryl is the farthest east a hurricane has formed on record during the month of June.

At this point, this storm is no threat to mainland U.S. but a dangerous situation is unfolding for the Windward Islands.

We’ll be watching this closely. Check back for the latest updates.