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Hurricane Beryl is setting new records for tropical storms\u2014and that has people living in the Southeast and along the East Coast nervously anticipating the months to come.<\/p>\n
Beryl is now a Category 4 storm, becoming the earliest Atlantic hurricane<\/a> on record to reach that level this early in the season. It took just 42 hours for the storm to transform from a tropical depression to a major hurricane.<\/p>\n It\u2019s on a path right now to impact the Caribbean, including the southern-facing side of the Dominican Republic and much of Jamaica. The storm\u2019s current path does not project it impacting the U.S.<\/p>\n Sustained winds, as of 10:00 a.m. ET Monday, were peaking at 130 mph. Forecasters are warning people in the path of the storm to watch out for a life-threatening storm surge of up to 9 feet, with 3 to 6 inches of rain predicted for Barbados and as much as 10 inches in some areas.<\/p>\n \u201cBeryl is nearing the southern Windward Islands and expected to make landfall within the next hour or two,\u201d the National Hurricane Center wrote in its most recent update<\/a>. \u201cThis is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Take action now to protect your life!\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a third tropical depression, Chris, has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. That storm will impact eastern Mexico and perhaps cause mudslides, but is not expected to be a significant storm.<\/p>\n The respite could be a short one, though. Forecasters have warned<\/a> of a \u201dpotentially explosive\u201d hurricane season<\/a>. Colorado State University\u2019s Department of Atmospheric Science says 2024 could see 11 total hurricanes<\/a>, including five \u201cmajor\u201d hurricanes (category 3 to 5), and 23 named storms, compared with an average of 14.4 between 1990 and 2020.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSubscribe to the CEO Daily newsletter to get global CEO perspectives on the biggest stories in business.\u00a0<\/span>Sign up<\/a>\u00a0for free.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n