Major ‘rapidly strengthening’ hurricane forms on first of season: Here’s where it will hit

A rapidly strengthening major hurricane has formed in the Atlantic Ocean, the first such storm of the season.

Hurricane Beryl has rapidly intensified into a major hurricane and is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge to the Windward Islands, including Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Lucia and Dominica, beginning Sunday night, the National Hurricane Center said. announced on Saturday.

Hurricane watches and warnings are now in effect for those areas as the hurricane barrels toward the islands with winds of up to 80 mph. according to Backpirch Weatherwho called the rapidly growing storm “unreal.”

On Saturday night, the center of Beryl was about 720 miles southeast of Barbados, according to meteorologist James Spann. published in X.

Once it makes landfall, the storm surge is expected to reach five to seven feet above normal tides.

It will also bring “large, destructive waves” and rainfall of three to six inches, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Beryl is then expected to move southeast of Puerto Rico on Monday night and Tuesday.

It can bring one to four inches of rain and is expected to have maximum winds of up to 120 mph. USA Today Reports.

It is not yet clear whether Beryl will enter the Gulf of Mexico.

But as the storm continues its path through the Caribbean, it could lose some of its strength, Spann said.

“Beyond a couple of days, when Beryl is moving across the Caribbean, an increase in shear should end the strengthening trend and induce some weakening towards the end of the forecast period,” he explained.

This is a developing story.