ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane Beryl strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane Sunday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of the 11 a.m. NHC update Sunday, Beryl had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph — denoting Category 3 — moving west at 21 mph. The NHC at 11:35 a.m. reported that reconnaissance aircraft found maximum winds of 130 mph within Hurricane Beryl, marking it a Category 4.
The NHC’s 2 p.m. update likewise relayed maximum wind speeds of 130 mph.
Hurricane Beryl will continue to move westward through a favorable environment. There is little-to-no wind shear and sea surface temperatures are around 85 degrees.
It was expected to rapidly intensify into a Category 4 hurricane by Monday morning, though the announcement came down long before. Either way, Beryl was anticipated to be a dangerous Category 4 hurricane by the time it reaches the Windward Islands early Monday. This is rare, as the first hurricane of the season typically occurs around August 11.
There is currently a Hurricane Warning for Tobago, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada and the Grenadine Islands.
Two other areas are being watched for possible tropical development.
A broad area of low pressure (Invest 94L) in the Bay of Campeche as of 2 p.m. Sunday has a high (80%) chance for development over both the next 48 hours and seven days before moving ashore in eastern Mexico. A short-lived tropical depression is possible but regardless of development, heavy rain is expected over portions of Central America and Mexico.
A tropical wave (Invest 96L) behind Beryl has a high chance for development over the next seven days.
The next two names are Chris and Debby.
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