(Reuters) -The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Saturday that tropical storm Beryl had strengthened into a hurricane, and warned that it may rapidly intensify further.
Hurricane Beryl, which may become "major", is expected to bring "destructive" winds and a "life-threatening" storm surge to the Windward Islands, the forecaster said in an advisory.
The center of the hurricane is expected to move across the Windward Islands late Sunday night and Monday.
Beryl formed over the central tropical Atlantic on Friday, and was located about 720 miles (1,159 km) east-southeast of Barbados, carrying maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, NHC said.
NHC issued a hurricane warning for Barbados, adding that hurricane conditions are expected beginning Sunday night.
"A life-threatening storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 5 to 7 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore flow near where Beryl makes landfall in the hurricane warning and watch areas," the forecaster said.
"Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves," NHC added.
Beryl is moving west at 22 mph, NHC said, and forecast that it would produce total rainfall of three to six inches (7.5 to 15 cm) across Barbados and the Windward Islands Sunday night into Monday.
It also may bring 1 to 4 inches of rain over portions of southeastern Puerto Rico Monday.
(Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan and Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Paul Simao and Chizu Nomiyama)
