Hurricane Beryl, Tropical Storm Chris. Invest 96L Tropical Depression

July 1, 2024

Hurricane Beryl approaches landfall in the Leeward Islands with winds of 193 km/h

Hurricane Beryl will soon make landfall in the Leeward Islands. The Category 3 hurricane is expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to the islands this morning, according to the latest warning from the National Hurricane Center.

But Beryl isn’t the only system out there. Meteorologists are also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Chris, which made landfall in Mexico early this morning, as well as Invest 96L, which is following Beryl’s path.

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The National Hurricane Center warned that Hurricane Beryl was expected to bring “potentially catastrophic hurricane-force winds, a life-threatening storm surge, and damaging waves … as Beryl moves across portions of the Leeward Islands, with the greatest risk of a core occurring in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada starting later this morning.”

Beryl is expected to remain a strong hurricane as it moves westward across the Caribbean.

AccuWeather’s hurricane experts expect the United States to be spared from the effects of the storm, but residents should “not become complacent.”

“Currently, the storm is most likely to move westward into Mexico. However, it is very important to note that as high pressure weakens over the Southeast, the storm may move further north and potentially make a direct impact on the Gulf Coast,” said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane forecaster.

The National Weather Service in Houston echoed this sentiment, saying there was “really no major cause for alarm right now… but just keep an eye on things as the week progresses.”

Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Chris made landfall in the Mexican state of Veracruz shortly before midnight local time. The storm is bringing heavy rains and flooding to much of eastern Mexico.

Invest 96L in the Atlantic is expected to develop into a tropical depression later this week.

The next storm of the season will be Debby.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be more intense

All forecasts for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season predict an above-average season. The average number of named storms in a season is 14. AccuWeather meteorologists have even gone so far as to say that 2024 could break the record of 30 named storms.

The occurrence of La Niña is an important reason why all weather forecasting agencies are predicting a very active hurricane season in the Atlantic this year.

It doesn’t help that we are experiencing record high water temperatures in the Atlantic, which also serve as a breeding ground for tropical cyclones.

NOAA said May 2024 is the 14th consecutive month of record-high global ocean temperatures.

Here is the latest update from the NHC as of July 1 at 5 a.m.:

Hurricane Beryl approaches the Leeward Islands with “life-threatening winds”

Location: 125 miles east-southeast of Grenada
Maximum sustained winds: 120 mph
Movement: West at 20 miles per hour
Central pressure: 965 mb
Path of Hurricane Beryl

Tropical Storm Chris makes landfall in Mexico

Location: 65 miles south-southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph
Movement: West at 12 miles per hour
Path of Tropical Storm Chris

At 5 a.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Storm Chris was located 65 miles south-southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico, at approximately 20.1 degrees north and 97.2 degrees west.

Chris is moving west at about 12 miles per hour and this general motion is expected to continue throughout the next day.

The center of Chris is forecast to continue moving inland over eastern Mexico today.

Maximum sustained winds will be 40 mph, with stronger gusts. Chris is expected to weaken further inland, and the system will likely dissipate over higher terrain later in the day. Tropical storm-strength winds will extend outward up to 70 miles from the center.

Invest 96L is expected to become a tropical depression this week

Invest 96L: In conjunction with a low pressure area about 1,600 kilometers west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, showers and thunderstorms will continue.

➤ Track 96L: Spaghetti models for Invest 96L

Environmental conditions appear to favor further development of this system, and a tropical depression is expected to form by the middle of this week, moving predominantly westward across the central and western tropical Atlantic at a speed of 24 to 32 km/h.

The inhabitants of the Lesser Antilles should monitor the progress of this system.

Probability of occurrence within 48 hours: medium, 40 percent.
Probability of occurrence within 7 days: high, 70 percent.

Who is likely to be affected?

Hurricane Beryl: As Beryl passes over parts of the Leeward Islands, potentially catastrophic hurricane-force winds, a life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected. The highest risk for the core is in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada as of this morning.

Tropical Storm Chris: Heavy rains will cause flooding across much of eastern Mexico this morning. Mudslides are possible in higher elevations.

Invest 96L: It is too early to say what impact this system will have on the United States.

Meteorologists urge all residents to continue to monitor the tropics and stay prepared. This advice is especially important during what is expected to be a very active hurricane season.

Weather observations and warnings issued in Florida

When is the Atlantic hurricane season?

The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30.

When is the peak of hurricane season?

The peak of the season is September 10, with the highest activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October, according to the Hurricane Center.

National Hurricane Center map: What are meteorologists observing now?

Systems currently being monitored by the National Hurricane Center include:

Interactive map: Hurricanes and tropical storms that have passed near your city

Heavy rainfall forecast

What’s next?

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