The Caribbean island of Dominica, ravaged by the deadly passage of Hurricane Maria last year, was again under a hurricane watch Friday as the first such storm of the 2018 Atlantic season moved toward the Lesser Antilles.

Dominica, a former British colony where Maria left more than 30 people dead last September, was the only area where hurricane conditions were possible so far as Hurricane Beryl moved west, said the United States National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The center added that the French tourist islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe and St Barthelemy, as well as French-Dutch St Martin, were under tropical storm watch, meaning that tropical storm conditions were possible.

The islands suffered billions of dollars' worth of damage and some fatalities when hurricanes Irma and Maria struck last year.

At 0000 GMT on Saturday, Beryl, a Category One hurricane, packed winds of 80 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour) and was pushing westward at 15 miles per hour, about 925 miles east-southeast of the Caribbean's Lesser Antilles island chain, the NHC said.

"Some strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Beryl could still be a hurricane when it reaches the Lesser Antilles late Sunday or Monday," the agency said.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Cyclone barrels towards Japan's Okinawa
Tokyo (AFP) July 1, 2018
Okinawa residents braced for large waves and violent winds Sunday after weather authorities warned of a fierce cyclone approaching the southern Japanese island. Typhoon Prapiroon was closing in on Okinawa's capital Naha on Sunday afternoon while packing gusts of up to 144 kilometres (90 miles) per hour, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. It was expected to draw close to the Okinawa island Sunday night through to the next morning before veering towards southwestern Japan and the Korean ... read more