Tropical storm Beryl has developed over the Atlantic Ocean packing winds of over 60 miles per hour and is forecast to track into the Caribbean Sea and become the first hurricane of the 2024 season. It brings a risk of life-threatning conditions, heavy rainfall, hurricane force winds and dangerous storm surge and waves to the central and western Caribbean including Antigua & Barbuda. This is just a small slice of a bigger problem. Ocean temperatures across the globe and the Atlantic have been at record warm for over a year, driven upward by planet-warming fossil fuel pollution and in part by El Nino.

There are two other areas being monitored by the National Hurricane Centre for development, including one in the same area in the Atlantic where this system formed and another in the southwest Gulf Of Mexico. All the regular preparations that we do for a hurricane is in full swing says the Antiguan minister of Home affairs as there is no time to lose. We have less than 48 hours until we expect to see the effects of this system impacting the islands…We will keep all informed as to the progress of the storm as updates become available..