Beryl strengthens to first major hurricane of 2024; reaches Category 4

The Weather Authority is tracking Hurricane Beryl, the first hurricane of the season and the strongest hurricane on record to form in June.

As of the 11 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Beryl’s maximum sustained winds are 130 MPH, making it a major Category 4 hurricane.

The tropical system is moving west at 20 MPH.

On the forecast track, the center of Beryl is expected to move across the Windward Islands early on Monday and across the southeastern Caribbean Sea on Monday night and Tuesday.

In under 24 hours, Beryl went from a 65-mph tropical storm to a 130-mph Category 4 hurricane.

Rapid intensification occurs when a tropical system’s maximum sustained winds increase by at least 30 knots (about 35 mph) in a 24-hour period.

The Weather Authority is also tracking Tropical Storm Chris. It is moving at 13 mph and has 40 mph winds. It will weaken early Monday as it moves over land.

And a tropical wave centered several hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands has become better organized.  

By mid-week, environmental conditions appear conducive for additional development as the storm moves westward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic at 15 to 20 mph.

There is a 70% chance of further development over the next seven days.