Latest news First hurricane of the season in the Atlantic: Warning for Barbados

The first hurricane of the season has developed in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Beryl has strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane and is expected to intensify quickly, the US weather agency NOAA announced on Saturday (local time). It is expected to bring life-threatening winds and gale-force winds to the Windward Islands - the northern part of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean - as a major hurricane, it said. A hurricane warning is now in place for the island of Barbados.

The center of the tropical storm is currently located 1160 kilometers east-southeast of Barbados, where "Beryl" is expected to hit late Sunday night or Monday, bringing with it "life-threatening storm surges". Currently, "Beryl" has wind speeds of 120 kilometers per hour.

According to the US weather authority, the hurricane season over the Atlantic could be stronger than average this year. Causes include above-average water temperatures in the Atlantic and the expected onset of "La Niña", a phase of cooler water temperatures in the Pacific.

Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean waters. Increasing global warming increases the likelihood of strong storms. A hurricane is defined as a wind speed of 119 kilometers per hour or more. The hurricane season begins in the Pacific on May 15 and in the Atlantic on June 1. It ends in both regions on November 30.