Hurricane Beryl becomes earliest Category 5 Atlantic storm on record with max winds of 160 mph
TAMPA, Fla. - Hurricane Beryl is now the earliest Atlantic storm on record to reach Category 5 strength with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph as of 11 p.m. Monday.
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The National Hurricane Center says the storm is "potentially catastrophic" as it heads toward the central Caribbean in the coming days.
"This is an absolutely impressive monster at this point," said FOX 13 meteorologist Jim Weber.
The NHC urged residents in the Cayman Islands, Belize, the Yucatan Peninsula, the remainder of the northwestern Caribbean, and the southwestern Gulf of Mexico to keep a close watch on Beryl, with additional watches or warnings likely coming.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Jamaica, where hurricane conditions are possible Wednesday.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the south coast of Hispaniola.
Beryl rapidly intensified over the weekend, strengthening from a tropical storm to a major hurricane. Winds went from 65 mph to 130 mph in about 24 hours.
More hurricane information here
Beryl is not expected to bring any impacts to Florida, forecasters say.
Elsewhere in the tropics, Tropical Storm Chris formed in the Gulf of Mexico late Sunday night before dissipating on Monday.
Invest 96L has a 40% chance of formation over the next seven days. If this system forms, it would initially take a similar path to Beryl into the Eastern Caribbean.
However, conditions in this area do not appear as favorable for strengthening as they were for Beryl. Most models do not strengthen Invest 96L into a hurricane in the Caribbean Sea. The next name assigned to any tropical storm or hurricane would be Debby.
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