Beryl has now strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph and is expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico after threatening the Windward Islands.
According to CNN, Beryl is the only Category 4 storm ever recorded in June.
Sunday morning the National Hurricane Center said Beryl was barreling towards the Windward Islands with life-threatening winds and storm surge. The storm is projected to reach the islands, which include Barbados, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Grenadines and Grenada, as an "extremely dangerous" storm.
Hurricane Beryl is on track to hit the islands Monday morning, bringing with it devastating winds and three to six inches of rain. The rainfall could cause flash flooding in some vulnerable areas, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm surge could raise water levels by as much as six to nine feet above normal tide levels in areas near where the eye of Hurricane Beryl makes landfall. The National Hurricane Center said the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.
Beryl began as a tropical storm on Friday but by 5 p.m. ET on Saturday had rapidly intensified into the first hurricane of the season with 75 mph winds (Cat 1).
Where Beryl goes after it crosses the Windward Islands still remained to be seen by Saturday night, accordingto Scripps News Meteorologist Julie Martin.
There is also another system two days behind Beryl that could bring more problems for the islands.
It is very atypical to have a hurricane form in this part of the Atlantic this time of year. The last time was in 1933.
There is also another disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico that is just expected to bring rain to coastal areas of Mexico.
