ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Hurricane Center as upgraded Tropical Depression 2 to Tropical Storm Beryl.
11 p.m. Update:
Beryl is our second named storm of the season, following Alberto which rolled into Mexico last week.
Beryl will become a hurricane and move into the Caribbean on Monday. After that, it should be south of us by mid-week. Early indications are that it would stay south of us, but that is about a week away. We will monitor for any changes.
This is a rare area for a hurricane to develop this time of year. If this becomes a hurricane this week, this will be the farthest east a hurricane has developed early in the season. The water temperatures are more August-like, helping to fuel Beryl.
Original Story:
The National Hurricane Center upgraded a tropical disturbance into a tropical depression Friday afternoon.
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Tropical Depression 2 is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Beryl soon.
It is currently in the Atlantic Ocean and approaching the Caribbean Sea.
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“It will strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches the Caribbean,” certified meteorologist Brian Shields said. “In the long term, it should stay south of Puerto Rico, with a chance that it weakens in about five or six days.”
Locally, the same summer weather pattern rolls on, he said.
Expect scattered storms and hot and humid conditions this weekend.
Photos: Several homes damaged after tornado touches down in Melbourne
“Some storms could be strong to severe,” Shields said. “(It will get) hotter as we approach the Fourth of July -- middle 90s.”
Shields is in Severe Weather Center 9 tracking local storms and the tropics.
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