Hurricane Season is Here

We now have our second named storm of 2024, as Hurricane Beryl is set to hit the Caribbean this morning. The storm strengthened from a tropical depression to a hurricane within 24 hours. And not just any Hurricane, but also a category 4 hurricane - meaning winds of 140+ MPH. Residents were warned to finish up prep as soon as possible, as the storm rapidly barreled towards them. 

This is the first storm to EVER move from a tropical depression to a major hurricane (category 3 or stronger) prior to September. And according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane expert at Colorado State University, this is the first major hurricane (category 3 or stronger) on record east of the Lesser Antilles during June (when this storm first began). 

Beryl is also the Atlantic Basin’s earliest category 4 Hurricane on record, beating Hurricane Dennis, which was a category 4 hurricane on July 8, 2005. The average date of the first such storm is August 11th. So this is well ahead of schedule, which could be very foreboding for the type of Hurricane season it might be this year. This continues the trend of crazy weather in recent years.

Beryl formed farther east than any other June hurricane since records began in the mid-1800s. The previous record was Hurricane Two, which formed on the coast of South America in 1933. No part of America, or its territories, are under watch at this time. We’ll be thinking of everyone in the Caribbean and certainly will be hoping for the best.