Beryl, the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, took shape on Friday as it made its way toward the Caribbean.
Beryl was expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it approached the Windward Islands in the West Indies, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory late Friday night.
Beryl was centered about 1,110 miles southeast of Barbados, the hurricane center said, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and tropical storm force winds extending outward up to 45 miles from the center. It was moving westward at 18 mph.
The system was expected to reach the Windward Islands Sunday evening or Monday and was expected to bring 3 to 6 inches of rain to the Windward Islands and Barbados. No warnings or warnings had yet been issued.
Last week tropical storm Alberto brought severe flooding in parts of south Texas and northeastern Mexico. It was responsible for at least four deaths in the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon and Veracruz, according to the Associated Press.
The Atlantic hurricane season started on June 1 and lasts until November 30. According to the hurricane center, the first hurricane of the season usually forms in early to mid-August, which would make Beryl unusual if it reached hurricane strength. In a report NOAA last month predicted a hurricane season that would be “above average,” with 17 to 25 storms, 8 to 13 hurricanes and 4 to 7 major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.
A tropical storm is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained wind speeds of 60 to 120 km per hour, while a hurricane has been defined as a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds exceeding 70 mph (119 km/h).
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