In late May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the top hurricane forecasting body in the United States, published a report forecasting the most active hurricane season yet. Now that the season has begun, Hurricane Beryl — the first named hurricane from 2024 — arrived last week, and is already breaking records for its early intensity.
It's the first Category 4 storm to be recorded in the month of June since records first began being kept in 1851. Late Monday night, Beryl strengthened to a Category 5 as its winds increased to 165 mph (270 kph), razing southeast Caribbean islands as it heads toward Jamaica, according to AP News. Experts who spoke with Salon agree on one thing: Hurricane Beryl is powered by global heating driven by burning fossil fuels.
