(CMR) Beryl rapidly intensified to a Category 4 Hurricane on Sunday, making it the strongest Atlantic hurricane recorded in June and the earliest Category 4 hurricane.
In under 24 hours, Beryl has gone from a 65 mph tropical storm to a 130 mph Category 4 hurricane. The hurricane is expected to bring life-threatening winds and surge to the Windward Islands on Monday.
The early timing of the season’s first hurricane is unusual, given the average date for the first hurricane is August 11.
Only two Category 3 hurricane have ever been recorded in the Atlantic in June, Audrey in 1957 and Alma in 1966, hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry said.
“Beryl is an extremely dangerous and rare hurricane for this time of year in this area,” he told the Associated Press in a phone interview. “Unusual is an understatement. Beryl is already a historic hurricane and it hasn't struck yet.”
As of 11 a.m. ET, Beryl was about 355 miles east-southeast of Barbados, heading west.
Forecasters predicted that this year would be a very busy hurricane season, with more storms expected to become hurricanes. Local experts have also encouraged Cayman to be prepared for what could be an explosive season.