It’s official: hurricane season is here. That means we’ve been watching the weather EXTRA closely — especially what’s happening in the Atlantic Ocean.

Hurricane season usually runs from June 1st through November 30th, and experts have already predicted that 2024 could be the worse hurricane season than in previous years. Now, the first big tropical storm of the season is heading toward the Caribbean, and it’s expected to become a hurricane. That could mean Disney Cruises headed to the Caribbean could be impacted by this storm.

According to The Associated Press, Tropical Storm Beryl is barreling toward the southeast Caribbean and could strengthen enough to become the first hurricane of 2024 before it reaches Barbados tomorrow, June 30th. A hurricane watch has already been issued for Barbados as it is expected to become a Category 2 hurricane before it reaches the country.

This could be an especially dangerous time for Barbados because this weekend marks the Twenty20 World Cup cricket final, which is being played in the country’s capital of Bridgetown.

Beryl is the second named storm of the season. Previously, Tropical Storm Alberto came ashore in Mexico with heavy rains that resulted in fatalities. Beryl is a bit of a rare storm, though. According to Florida-based hurricane expert Michael Lowry, “Only five named storms on record have formed in the tropical Atlantic east of the Caribbean.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted that the 2024 hurricane season is going to be higher than average, and are expecting between 17 to 25 named storms, with up to 13 of those as hurricanes and at least four major hurricanes.

A tropical wave located a few hundred miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands is currently being carefully looked at, too. The NOAA believes environmental conditions could develop this system, with it forming a tropical depression next week as it continues to move west. Its chance of formation is currently 40%. Its current formation chance over the next 7 days is 60%. If it forms before any other systems, it would be named Chris.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on all the developments this hurricane season and keep you updated, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

6 Essentials You Need to Conquer Hurricane Season in Disney World

Have you ever seen a tropical storm or hurricane? Share your experience in the comments!

The post NEWS: Experts Warn Tropical Storm Beryl Is Expected to Become Hurricane Soon first appeared on the disney food blog.