The first hurricane of the season has officially arrived. Beryl, which was upgraded to hurricane from a tropical storm early Friday, is currently moving over the Atlantic, toward the Lesser Antilles.
It’s tiny. Beryl’s hurricane-force winds only extend up to 10 miles from the center, according to the National Hurricane Center. Compare that to Hurricane Maria, whose hurricane-force winds stretched out for 60 miles from the center. The center’s forecasters estimate Beryl will cross past the Lesser Antilles Sunday or Monday. It’s expected to break down by the time it reaches Dominican Republic and Haiti.
That’s good news for Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands pummeled by a nasty hurricane season in 2017. Some Puerto Ricans still don’t have power.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predict five to nine hurricanes in the Atlantic this season, including up to four storms in category 3, 4 or 5.