Hurricane Beryl is already a historic storm for this early in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and poses an ominous sign for the months ahead.
Let’s list the ways Beryl has already grabbed the attention of hurricane experts.
Easternmost June hurricane on record: Beryl became the farthest east Atlantic Basin June hurricane on record Saturday, breaking a record from the Trinidad and Tobago hurricane of 1933.
Easternmost “major” June hurricane on record: Then on Sunday morning, Beryl rapidly intensified to Category 3 intensity.
Not only did that become only the third June hurricane to reach that intensity in the Atlantic Basin, but it did so roughly 2,000 miles farther east than 1966’s Hurricane Alma did in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Even an oddity by July standards: Previously, the earliest Category 3 or stronger hurricane in July to have occurred east of the longitude of the Lesser Antilles was Hurricane Bertha on July 7-8, 2008, though that occurred much farther north. So, Beryl’s Category 3 strength occurred a week earlier than Bertha east of the Antilles.
Earliest Category 4 hurricane: Beryl gained Category 4 intensity Sunday morning, making it the record earliest Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic Basin. Hurricane Dennis in 2005 gained Cat. 4 intensity on July 7 between Jamaica and Cuba. Only three other hurricanes dating to the mid-19th century gained Cat. 4 intensity prior to August.
