Hurricane Beryl ‘extremely dangerous’ as it gains strength in Caribbean

Hurricane Beryl, a powerful Category 4 storm, threatens the Eastern Caribbean with devastating flooding and deadly winds.

Hurricane Beryl unleashed powerful winds over the Eastern Caribbean on July 1, downing power lines and ripping roofs from buildings, as scientists argue that climate change likely added to how quickly the unusually fierce, early storm formed.

Beryl struck the southeastern Caribbean at Category 4 strength on the Saffir-Simpson five-point scale, spiraling toward the Caribbean's Windward Islands and threatening devastating flooding as potentially deadly winds picked up speed.

"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Take action now to protect your life!" the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a post on Monday, urging residents in Grenada, the Grenadine Islands as well as Carriacou Island to shelter in place due to an expected rapid increase in wind force.

Across many islands that dot the Eastern Caribbean, residents boarded up windows, stocked up on food and filled their cars with fuel as the storm drew closer.

The Miami-based hurricane center noted that hurricane-force winds spread out from Beryl's well-defined eye by up to 40 miles (64 km), with still-dangerous tropical storm force winds extending outward by another 125 miles (201 km).

Beryl's rapid rise marks an unusually fierce and early start to this year's Atlantic hurricane season, including the earliest Category 4 storm on record.

Scientists surveyed by Reuters see the powerful hurricane as a harbinger of an unusually active hurricane season made possible by record-high temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean.