Tropical Storm Beryl predicted to become major hurricane

A hurricane watch was in effect Saturday for several Caribbean islands. The NHC predicted that the storm would become a hurricane before reaching the Windward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, a group in the Caribbean Sea.

Researchers have predicted a particularly busy hurricane season. Beryl’s early arrival made it one of few storms in history to have formed in the region this early in the year, the Hurricane Center said.

Beryl is expected to strengthen quickly, the NHC said Saturday. By midday the storm was about 820 miles east-southeast of Barbados, with maximum winds of 65 mph.

“The storm has been on a steady strengthening trend since it formed yesterday,” the NHC wrote in an early afternoon update, “and now that its structure is more symmetric and compact, it likely will have an opportunity to rapidly intensify.”

A hurricane watch was in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands. A tropical storm watch was in effect for Martinique, Tobago and Dominica.

The storm is expected to bring 3 to 6 inches of rain in Barbados and the Windward Islands. Hurricane conditions are possible by Sunday night or Monday morning in the areas under watch, the NHC said.

Matthew Cappucci contributed to this report.