--- title: 'Unprecedented' Beryl Signals Climate Change's Impact description: Hurricane Beryl became the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever in the Atlantic. Experts say climate change is impacting extreme weather. canonical: https://time.com/6994715/hurricane-beryl-extreme-weather-climate-change/ author: Chantelle Lee article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-07-03T01:04:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T17:53:09.366Z article:section: Climate og:title: 'Unprecedented' Beryl Signals Climate Change's Impact og:description: Research has shown that climate change can make some of these disasters more intense and more frequent. og:url: https://time.com/6994715/hurricane-beryl-extreme-weather-climate-change/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0cf3e8ac44a253dd/698a5867929fad42b0bfcb4b/Beryl-Extreme-Weather-Climate-Change.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Barbados Tropical Weather og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'Unprecedented' Beryl Signals Climate Change's Impact twitter:description: Research has shown that climate change can make some of these disasters more intense and more frequent. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0cf3e8ac44a253dd/698a5867929fad42b0bfcb4b/Beryl-Extreme-Weather-Climate-Change.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Beryl’s ‘Unprecedented’ Timing Is a Sign of Climate Change’s Impact on Extreme Weather > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=35091cf6-6a47-4e7a-904c-26e21ab2c28c&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Friday (1x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 40,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 34.2% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 2.1% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Justin Worland, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Senior leaders shaping the climate transition. An engaged audience of executives and decision-makers spanning operating companies, finance, policy, consulting, communications and media. ### TIME Future Proof: key statements * Future Proof is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Future Proof is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=35091cf6-6a47-4e7a-904c-26e21ab2c28c&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/subscribe?i=35091cf6-6a47-4e7a-904c-26e21ab2c28c&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's climate and energy newsletter? Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Jul 3, 2024 1:04 AM UTC  Fishing boats damaged by Hurricane Beryl wade in the water at the Bridgetown Fisheries in Barbados on July 2, 2024. Fishing boats damaged by Hurricane Beryl wade in the water at the Bridgetown Fisheries in Barbados on July 2, 2024. Ricardo Mazalan—The Associated Press by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Jul 3, 2024 1:04 AM UTC This week, Hurricane Beryl became the earliest hurricane in history to [reach the Category 5 level](https://time.com/6994279/here-is-the-path-powerful-hurricane-beryl-is-expected-to-take/) in the Atlantic Ocean, battering the Caribbean and [killing at least six](https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-beryl-caribbean-8cf6928baf7c69554c48625fabd4a1b3)—and experts say that climate change is making it much more likely for extreme weather events like this to occur. The [National Hurricane Center](https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/) said Tuesday that Beryl is “expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica on Wednesday and the Cayman Islands Wednesday night and Thursday.” The hurricane isn’t the only extreme weather event that has occurred around the world over the past few days—fierce storms led to [flooding](https://apnews.com/article/switzerland-storms-flooding-landslide-bridge-c439ed5a966f94775082b8c70369666c) in Switzerland and Italy; and wildfires raged in [Greece](https://apnews.com/article/greece-wildfire-chios-mitsotakis-firefighter-weather-02a9c54f54f903c6183a4d97f0a4e2e9) and [Arizona](https://apnews.com/article/wildfire-suburban-phoenix-western-united-states-3b67b05ea26fe390f2f87152dafb38e1). While [research hasn’t proven](https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/influence-climate-change-extreme-environmental-events/) that climate change is the direct cause of each specific extreme weather event, it has shown that climate change can make some of these disasters [more intense and more frequent](https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/extreme-weather/). “It’s important to remember there was extreme weather before climate change,” Alex Hall—a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)—tells TIME. “The climate is variable, the weather is variable; we expect there to be extremes. But it’s just that the likelihood of extremes has changed, and the likelihood of these types of events occurring is greater.” Hurricanes rely on a warm ocean to form. Because of that, hurricane season usually runs from June through November, when oceans are warm enough for a hurricane to develop, says Marcus C. Sarofim, a physical scientist in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Science & Impacts Branch. But Beryl is “unusual” and “unprecedented,” Hall adds, because it’s happening so early in the hurricane season, before the warmest ocean temperatures are usually seen. “Climate change is stacking the dice in favor of events like that,” Hall says. “The fact that we’re seeing this event, that is unprecedented, occurring is entirely consistent with climate change.” **Read More:** [_How Hurricane Beryl Is Shattering Storm Records_](https://time.com/6994446/hurricane-beryl-shatters-storm-records/) Current research indicates that while the warming climate will likely lead to less frequent Category 1 and 2 storms, it will lead to more frequent intense storms, like Category 4 and 5 hurricanes, Sarofim says. Warmer temperatures also allow the Earth’s atmosphere to hold more water in it, which can lead to heavy rainfall, says Steve Vavrus, director of the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. Intense rainfall often leads to flooding, which can overwhelm existing stormwater systems, he adds. “A lot of our infrastructure was built for a different climate than we’ve seen today,” Vavrus says. “We really need to take stock of how to prepare for the changing climate as we face it in the future.” On the other hand, because the atmosphere can hold more moisture, that can demand more evaporation, which can lead to drier conditions on land, according to Vavrus. Along with [record-breaking heat](https://time.com/6985953/global-record-breaking-temperatures/), these dry conditions can bring an increased risk of wildfires. According to a new [EPA report](https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-wildfires) released Tuesday, the extent of the area that wildfires have burned in the U.S. has risen since the 1980s. The report found that the 10 years with the largest acreage burned by wildfires all occurred since 2004—coinciding with some of the warmest years recorded. Some extreme weather events can also have “cascading effects,” Hall says. In 2023, smoke from wildfires burning in Canada traveled to New York City, transforming the sky into an [orange haze](https://time.com/6285889/wildfire-smoke-yellow-sky/) and affecting the air quality. Extreme weather events often affect human health, Vavrus says. Beryl has caused [power outages](https://time.com/6994279/here-is-the-path-powerful-hurricane-beryl-is-expected-to-take/) on several Caribbean islands. The storms in Switzerland and northern Italy have left [at least four people dead](https://apnews.com/article/switzerland-storms-flooding-landslide-bridge-c439ed5a966f94775082b8c70369666c). In addition to the toll on human health, there are financial consequences of climate change, such as rebuilding or repairing the damage caused by flooding or wildfires, Vavrus says. Sarofim says there are many ways [people can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions](https://www.epa.gov/climate-change/what-you-can-do-about-climate-change), including using more efficient appliances, turning off lights when they leave a room, and taking public transit or driving more efficient cars. In the U.S., greenhouse gas emissions decreased by about 1.9% in 2023, according to estimates released in January by the independent research firm the [Rhodium Group](https://rhg.com/research/us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-2023/). “The best strategy to reduce the likelihood of these types of extremes is to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases,” Hall says. “We need to slow climate change down and ultimately reverse it.” Get alerts on the biggest breaking news stories [**here**](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=breaking-news) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6994715/hurricane-beryl-extreme-weather-climate-change/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6994715/hurricane-beryl-extreme-weather-climate-change/"},"headline":"Why Beryl’s ‘Unprecedented’ Timing Is a Sign of Climate Change’s Impact on Extreme Weather","datePublished":"2024-07-03T01:04:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T17:53:09.366Z","description":"Hurricane Beryl became the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever in the Atlantic. Experts say climate change is impacting extreme weather.","url":"https://time.com/6994715/hurricane-beryl-extreme-weather-climate-change/","keywords":["extreme weather","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0cf3e8ac44a253dd/698a5867929fad42b0bfcb4b/Beryl-Extreme-Weather-Climate-Change.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chantelle Lee","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/"}],"articleSection":"Climate","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0cf3e8ac44a253dd/698a5867929fad42b0bfcb4b/Beryl-Extreme-Weather-Climate-Change.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Barbados Tropical Weather","caption":"Barbados Tropical Weather","creditText":"Ricardo Mazalan—The Associated Press","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/climate/","name":"Climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/extreme-weather/","name":"extreme weather"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6994715/hurricane-beryl-extreme-weather-climate-change/","name":"Why Beryl’s ‘Unprecedented’ Timing Is a Sign of Climate Change’s Impact on Extreme Weather"}}]}] ```