While I’m writing the storm Beryl has reached Maine and Nova Scotia, after a two weeks ride across the Atlantic Ocean. Beryl is the easternmost hurricane that formed in the Atlantic in June, beating the record set in the 1933. It’s the earliest Category 4 atlantic hurricane and the strongest June hurricane, surpassing Hurricane Audrey of 1957.

It’s the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record at the beginning of summer. The level of energy shown and the extremely rapid intensification are more likely in August or Septemper. Finally Beryl intensified from tropical storm to Category 5 hurricane in only 42 hours: only six other Atlantic storms have shown this rate of intensification, with Beryl the only to do so earlier than September.

On June 25 a tropical wave left the West coast of Africa, abeam Capo Verde, forming scattered thunderstorms. The weather and sea conditions favored the intensification of thunderstorms, which were organized to become a tropical depression on June 28.

The system became a storm six hours later and, continuing its rapid growt, on June 29 Beryl reached hurricane force, developing an eye inside the cluster of thunderstorms. Entering the Caribbean Sea, it continued its intensification until reaching Category 5 on 2 July, with winds at 270 km/h and a pressure of 934 mb.

Scientists are analyzing all the data collected to see if climate change could have played a role in this extreme event.

Advisory NOAA (2 July) – Credits NOAA

Alessandro Casarino – Navimeteo