The second tropical storm of 2024 in the Atlantic Ocean basin, named Beryl can be ‘quickly strengthened’ and will become a “major hurricane” when it reaches the Windward Islands of the Caribbean on Sunday evening or Monday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said this Saturday.

The Miami, Florida-based NHC noted that Beryl could cause “destructive hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surges”Therefore, hurricane watches are in effect for most of the Windward Islands.

The governments of France, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia and Barbados have issued hurricane warnings for their islands in the region.

“Heavy rain and localized flooding are expected in the Windward Islands overnight on Sunday and Monday,” the meteorological office said in a statement.

This is the second named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. On Friday, it formally became a tropical storm.

The Atlantic is set to have a well-above-average hurricane season this year, with the potential for up to thirteen hurricanes, up to seven of which could be major, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The forecast indicates that this year a total of 17 to 25 storms could form, that is, with maximum sustained wind speeds above 62 kilometers per hour.

EFE