--- title: Hurricane Beryl's Path and Track: See the Storm's Forecast description: Hurricane Beryl became the first hurricane of this year's Atlantic hurricane season Friday morning after gaining strength overnight. canonical: https://time.com/5331664/hurricane-beryl-path-track/ author: Billy Perrigo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-07-06T11:48:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T18:53:55.000Z article:section: Science og:title: Hurricane Beryl Is Officially the First Atlantic Hurricane of the Year. Here’s Where it's Headed og:description: Forecasters say it's difficult to predict because of its small size og:url: https://time.com/5331664/hurricane-beryl-path-track/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03545e1481198c69/698934b9e76ad25aca6326ff/hurricane-beryl-first-2018-atlantic.png?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: hurricane-beryl-first-2018-atlantic og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Hurricane Beryl Is Officially the First Atlantic Hurricane of the Year. Here’s Where it's Headed twitter:description: Forecasters say it's difficult to predict because of its small size twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03545e1481198c69/698934b9e76ad25aca6326ff/hurricane-beryl-first-2018-atlantic.png?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Hurricane Beryl Has Been Downgraded to a Tropical Storm. Here's Where it's Headed  by [Billy Perrigo](https://time.com/author/billy-perrigo/)  ## Billy Perrigo Correspondent Updated: Dec 12, 2023 6:53 PM UTCPublished: Jul 6, 2018 11:48 AM UTC  July 06 - The wind speed probabilities of Hurricane Beryl, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2018 July 06 - The wind speed probabilities of Hurricane Beryl, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2018National Hurricane Center  by [Billy Perrigo](https://time.com/author/billy-perrigo/)  ## Billy Perrigo Correspondent Updated: Dec 12, 2023 6:53 PM UTCPublished: Jul 6, 2018 11:48 AM UTC Hurricane Beryl was [downgraded to a tropical storm](https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/#Beryl) Saturday morning, after being named the first hurricane of this year’s Atlantic [hurricane season](http://time.com/4946730/hurricane-categories/) on Friday. The path of the relatively tiny Tropical Storm Beryl is currently tracking westwards through the Atlantic in the general direction of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It is expected to reach the Lesser Antilles by Sunday night or Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHS). > [](https://twitter.com/NHC%5FAtlantic/status/1015611078821195777) Tropical storms are less severe than hurricanes, with wind gusts between 39 and 73 miles per hour; a hurricane, by contrast, includes maximum sustained wind gusts between 74 and 95 miles per hour, [according to AccuWeather](https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/whats-the-difference-between-a/34388). Though Beryl is not forecast to be at hurricane strength when it reaches the Lesser Antilles, the NHS said some islands can expect “direct impacts from wind and rainfall.” The NHC is also warning that changes to Beryl’s intensity will be “difficult to predict” due to its very small size. “Confidence in the official intensity forecast is also lower than normal,” the Center warned. “Rapid changes in intensity, both up and down, that are difficult to predict are possible during the next couple days.” > [](https://twitter.com/NOAASatellites/status/1015275181814763521) The first named storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, subtropical storm Alberto, failed to reach hurricane status. But it still led to several fatalities and [approximately $50 million in damage](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2018/05/31/490705.htm). Many Caribbean islands, including [Puerto Rico](http://time.com/a-land-they-no-longer-recognize/), were devastated by intense storms during last year’s hurricane season, which officially lasts from June 1 until November 30. Some experts have raised concerns that climate change might be generating stronger hurricanes, while climate scientists have warned the [2018 hurricane season](http://time.com/5229383/2018-hurricane-season-forecast/) could be worse than usual. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5331664/hurricane-beryl-path-track/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5331664/hurricane-beryl-path-track/"},"headline":"Hurricane Beryl Has Been Downgraded to a Tropical Storm. 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