Beryl strengthens into first hurricane of 2024 Atlantic season. Here’s what you should know

Hurricane Beryl became a hurricane Saturday, the first of the 2024 Atlantic season, according to discussions from the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

“Beryl continues to rapidly strengthen, and has now become a hurricane,” the NHC said in a discussion Saturday evening on the Atlantic season’s first hurricane. “Satellite images show an expanding central dense overcast feature, and recent microwave images indicate that a partial eyewall has formed.”

Here’s what you need to know about Hurricane Beryl.

Where is Hurricane Beryl headed?

According to a Saturday evening NHC discussion, Beryl is headed in the direction of the Windward Islands, a group of Caribbean islands that includes Saint Lucia, Grenada and Carriacou. 

“Beryl is expected to be a dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the Windward Islands late Sunday night or Monday, bringing destructive hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge,” the NHC said in the discussion. “Hurricane Watch and Warnings are in effect for much of the Windward Islands.”

According to a public advisory by the NHC Saturday evening, there are hurricane warnings and watches in effect for islands including Barbados, St. Lucia and Grenada. The advisory also stated that the storm is about 720 miles east-southeast of Barbados.

How strong is Hurricane Beryl?

The NHC said early Sunday that the storm has “quickly strengthened” into a “very dangerous category 3 hurricane,” sustaining winds of 115 m.p.h. On Saturday evening, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.

The NHC said the storm is expected to be an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane” by the time it reaches the Windward Islands early Monday,

“Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area beginning Sunday night,” the NHC said on Saturday. “Hurricane conditions are possible in the hurricane watch areas Sunday night or Monday morning. Devastating wind damage is expected where the eyewall of Beryl moves through portions of the Windward Islands.”

An advisory also noted that “[a] life-threatening storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 5 to 7 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore flow near where Beryl makes landfall in the hurricane warning and watch areas.

“Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the advisory continued.

When it comes to rainfall, the NHC said in the advisory that the storm “is expected to produce rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches across Barbados and the Windward Islands Sunday night into Monday.

“This rainfall may cause flooding in vulnerable areas,” the NHC continued.

Hurricane Beryl track map

You can see the track of Hurricane Beryl from this interactive map on the National Hurricane Center’s website.

Track the path of the storm here.

[Sarah Fortinsky contributed.]

[Updated at 9:12 am.]