Caribbean islands brace for Hurricane Beryl, to become dangerous major storm

Much of the southeast Caribbean was on alert Sunday as Beryl strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, with forecasters warning of an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Beryl -- currently churning in the Atlantic Ocean about 465 miles (750 kilometers) east of Barbados -- was expected to bring "life-threatening winds and storm surge" when it reaches the Windward Islands early Monday.

Warning the storm is "continuing to rapidly intensify," the NHC forecast it would become an "extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane" by the time it hit Caribbean communities.