Hurricane Pirell has intensified, becoming the first storm of this season in the Atlantic, now classified as an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 hurricane, threatening the southeastern Caribbean with winds exceeding 180 kilometers per hour, according to experts from the U.S. National Weather Service. The National Hurricane Center stated that Hurricane Pirell, currently located about 675 kilometers east of Barbados, "continues to rapidly strengthen as of Sunday morning."
They added, "This storm is now an extremely dangerous Category 3 hurricane," forecasting that the eye of the storm will move early Monday towards the Windward Islands, which include Martinique, Saint Lucia, and Grenada. The Center pointed out that the hurricane is "continuing to strengthen rapidly," noting that it could further escalate to become a "Category 4 extremely dangerous hurricane" by the time it reaches these Caribbean islands.
Meanwhile, cars were seen in long lines at gas stations in Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, while grocery stores became overcrowded with customers purchasing food, water, and other supplies. Many homes began to reinforce their fronts.
Authorities in Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Tobago issued hurricane warnings, while tropical storm warnings remained in effect in Martinique and Dominica, according to the latest advisory from the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
An "Exceptional" Season
A Category 3 hurricane or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale is considered a major hurricane. A Category 4 storm is accompanied by winds that are no less than 209 kilometers per hour. Hurricane Pirell was reported to have winds reaching 185 kilometers per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center around 8 AM Sunday (12:00 UTC), warning of "life-threatening winds" in the Windward Islands.
They continued, "Destructive damage is expected due to the winds as the eye of Hurricane Pirell moves across parts of the islands," highlighting that wind speeds in some locations could be up to 30% stronger than those listed in the warnings for these areas. Experts believe that the formation of such a powerful storm at this early stage of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from early June to the end of November, is an extremely rare phenomenon.
