Hurricane Beryl restrengthens to Category 4 off Grenada

San Juan: Beryl has restrengthened into an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane. The National Hurricane Centre in Miami said the storm was located about 70 miles (125 kilometers) east of Grenada on Monday morning and had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph.

Hurricane Beryl was closing in on the southeastern Caribbean, and government officials late Sunday pleaded with people to take shelter from the dangerous Category 3 storm.

The storm was expected to make landfall in the Windward Islands on Monday morning. Hurricane warnings were in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“This is a very dangerous situation,” warned the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami, saying Beryl was “forecast to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge”.

Beryl was centred about 110 miles (175 kilometers) south-southeast of Barbados early Monday. It had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) and was moving west at 20 mph (31 kph). It is a compact storm, with hurricane-force winds extending 30 miles (45 kilometers) from its centre.

It had gained Category 4 strength on Sunday before weakening slightly, and further fluctuations in strength were forecast.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Martinique and Trinidad. A tropical storm watch was issued for Dominica, Haiti’s entire southern coast, and from Punta Palenque in the Dominican Republic west to the border with Haiti.

Beryl was expected to pass just south of Barbados early Monday.agencies