Hurricane Beryl has strengthened to “an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane” and is barreling down on the southeastern Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Monday warned of “life-threatening winds and storm surge” headed for the Windward Islands, which include Grenada and St. Lucia. Beryl’s emergence marks an early start to the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which typically doesn’t begin until later in July or August, and its strength and rapid intensification are causing alarm. Here’s what you need to know.

🌊 Beryl officially a Category 4

On Sunday morning, Beryl was a Category 3. Five hours later it was classified as a Category 4, with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour. As of 8 a.m. ET Monday morning, Beryl remained a Category 4 hurricane.

Heavy rainfall, “destructive hurricane-force winds” and localized flooding are expected, according to the NHC.

Thanks to record warm water temperatures for this time of year, Beryl rapidly intensified from a tropical depression on Friday to a tropical storm on Saturday morning, before it was upgraded to a hurricane hours later.

☔️ Where will Hurricane Beryl make landfall?

The NHC said Beryl was expected to make landfall later Monday on the Windward Islands:

According to a CNN report, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago were also among the areas feeling Beryl’s impact early Monday, while St. Vincent, the Grenadines and Grenada were at the highest risk of being struck by the storm’s core. Residents and visitors to Barbados and the Windward Islands were urged Sunday to prepare for 3 to 6 inches of rain and possible flash flooding.

The storm is predicted to move across the southeastern and central Caribbean Sea late Monday through Wednesday.

Beryl’s path later in the week is uncertain.

⚠️ Hurricane warnings in effect across southeast Caribbean

Hurricane watches and warnings are in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada and Tobago. Martinique is under a tropical storm warning. Dominica and Trinidad are under a tropical storm watch. The northwestern Caribbean should monitor closely.

⛈️ Other areas could be affected

Puerto Rico may experience showers and thunderstorms with 1 to 4 inches of rain over the southeast region from Monday night into Tuesday. The NHC says 2 to 6 inches of rain are also possible in parts of southern Hispaniola on Tuesday night into Wednesday.

➡️ Experts shocked at Beryl’s rapid intensification

Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist and storm surge expert, told the Associated Press that this rapidly developing June hurricane is a “very serious threat.”

“Beryl is an extremely dangerous and rare hurricane for this time of year in this area,” he said in a phone interview with the AP. “Unusual is an understatement. Beryl is already a historic hurricane and it hasn’t struck yet.”

The last strong hurricane to affect the southeast Caribbean was Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. Ivan battered Grenada as a Category 3 and killed 39 people.

Hurricane Beryl is the earliest Category 4 on record in the Atlantic.

🌎 The start of a busy Atlantic hurricane season

Experts agree that this could be one of the busiest hurricane seasons on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced in May that it expected eight to 13 hurricanes in the Atlantic, with four to seven of them classified as major hurricanes, meaning at least 111 mph winds.