Beryl, a tropical storm churning in the eastern Caribbean, is forecast to become a "dangerous major hurricane" packing winds of up to 110 miles per hour.
TheNational Hurricane Center updated its forecast for Beryl Saturday morning and said the tropical storm has rapidly strengthened and is expected to become a hurricane before it reaches the Windward Islands of St. Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent on Sunday evening.
It will bring "destructive hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge, the center warned.
As of Saturday, Beryl, which will become the first hurricane of this season, was about 785 miles east-southeast of Barbados and moving at about 23 mph.
The center said the surge will increase water levels by as much as 7 feet above normal, and drop about 3 to 6 inches of rain on Barbados and the Windward Islands.
"This rainfall may cause flooding in vulnerable areas," the center said.
