When Hurricane Beryl strengthened into the Atlantic Ocean's earliest Category 5 storm on record, it did so some two months ahead of the heart of hurricane season. More storms typically form and intensify by August and September because that's when Atlantic waters are warmest, loaded with storm-fueling energy from a summer of sunshine. But Beryl strengthened in Caribbean waters that were as hot as they normally are in mid-September, just as the calendar turned to July. Its record-shattering intensification, occurring earlier in the year than any storm before it, is an early sign of the historically stormy year scientists have been warning about. Off-the-charts warmth that has dominated Atlantic waters for more than a year was a key factor in early seasonal forecasts - and was integral to Beryl's extraordinary development.

Source: Washington Post July 03, 2024 02:41 UTC