Beryl Strengthening…Could Become Category 5 Tonight

It is clear tonight that Hurricane Beryl is strengthening.

At 7 p.m., the Hurricane Center raised the max winds to 155 mph and the pressure down to 938 mb, just 2 mph from category five status.

Since then, the NOAA Hurricane Hunters have found even lower pressures and higher winds. On this recent pass, the crew extrapolated the pressure in the eye to 934.1 mb. They measured a flight level 1 min wind to 136 knots, which translates to 141 mph. They measured a flight level gust to 156 mph. The highest SFRM reading of surface 15s winds was 137 knots or 157 mph.

I think that the cloud tops in the core are getting colder, which indicates the convection is increasing.

We will watch with keen interest as the 10 p.m. CDT forecast package and advisory comes out.

Category: ALL POSTS, Tropical