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Category 1 Beryl gaining strength, but not seen as U.S. threat

 
[National Hurricane Center]
[National Hurricane Center]
Published July 6, 2018

The first hurricane of the 2018 season is gaining strength in the Atlantic, but is forecast to fall apart before it becomes a threat to Florida.

Beryl, which formed as a tropical depression on Thursday, quickly intensified into a compact but powerful Category 1 hurricane early Friday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of 11 a.m., it had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph with higher gusts and was located at 1,045 miles east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles. It is moving west at 15 mph and is expected to pick up speed over the weekend.

Beryl is expected to continue strengthening as it approaches the Lesser Antilles late Sunday or Monday, but forecasters say wind shear will weaken the storm after it reaches the eastern Caribbean Sea on Monday.

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