Storm Tracker: Update: BMS advises Barbadians to brace for gusty winds and heavy rains within the next hour

Feederbands from Hurricane Beryl is expected to bring storm-force winds of 50 to  60 miles per hour gusting to hurricane force and some heavy showers across Barbados within the next hour from around 3 a.m., the Barbados Meteorological Services (BMS) has said.

In its 2 a.m., update,  the BMS said the center of Beryl is still forecast to pass about 80 miles (130 km) south of Barbados early Monday morning . Additionally, marine conditions continue to deteriorate with increasingly large ocean swells expected closer to mid-morning.

The BMS added: “Although Beryl has weakened slightly it remains a strong category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 MPH (195 Km/h). At 2 a.m., Monday  July 1, 2024 the eye was located near 11.5N 59.1W or about 175 km (110 miles) south-southeast of Barbados. The system is moving in a westward direction at 20 MPH (31 km/h) with a minimum central pressure is 965mb. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 km (30 miles) from the center and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 km (115 miles).

The next update will be at 5 a.m., on Monday.