Beryl now a category 2 hurricane

Hurricane Beryl intensified into a category 2 hurricane and is expected to become a major hurricane before reaching Barbados late tonight. Therefore a hurricane warning remains in effect for Barbados.

The centre of Beryl is expected to pass about 73 miles (118 km) south of Barbados sometime early Monday morning, July 1, however, the island will begin to feel the impacts late tonight and into early Monday morning.

During the passage of Beryl hurricane-force winds, heavy rainfall with accumulations of 1 to 3 inches which could cause flash flooding and some severe thunderstorm activity is likely to impact the island. Additionally, marine conditions are expected to significantly deteriorate tonight.

The public is encouraged to monitor the BMS, DEM and GIS websites, their respective social media pages, and the local media networks for further information on Beryl.

Overnight, Beryl continued to strengthen with an eye visible on Satellite imagery. At 5 am today, Sunday, June 30, 2024, the eye was located near 10.7N 53.1W or about 750 km (465 miles) east-southeast of Barbados. Maximum sustained winds have increased to 100 MPH (155 Km/h). The system continues its westward motion at 21 MPH (31 Km/h). The minimum central pressure is 981mb. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 km (15 miles) from the center and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 130 km (80 miles). Over the past 12 hours, the forecast track has shifted slightly south of the original forecast now taking the centre slightly further south of Barbados. The hurricane hunter is currently on its way to investigate the system and updates from the aircraft will give more information regarding the structure and intensity of the system and the extent of hurricane and storm-force winds.

A Hurricane Warning is issued when sustained winds of 64 knots or greater (74 mph; 119kmh) associated with a hurricane are forecast to affect Barbados within 36 hours.
The next intermediate update will be at 8 am today.

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