Hurricane Beryl strengthens into a Category 4 storm as it nears the southeast Caribbean

By Dánica CotoThe Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Beryl strengthened into what experts called an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm as it approached the southeast Caribbean, which began shutting down June 30 amid urgent pleas from government officials for people to take shelter.The storm was expected to make landfall in the Windward Islands the morning of July 1. Hurricane warnings were in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.“This is a very dangerous situation,” warned the National Hurricane Center in Miami, which said that Beryl was “forecast to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge.”Beryl was located about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Barbados. It had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 18 mph (30 kph). It is a compact storm, with hurricane-force winds extending 35 miles (340 kilometers) from its center.A tropical storm warning was in effect for Martinique. A tropical storm watch was issued for Dominica, Trinidad, Haiti’s entire southern coast, and from Punta Palenque in the Dominican Republic west to the border with Haiti.Beryl is expected to pass just south of Barbados early July 1 and then head into the...