Hurricane Beryl forms in Atlantic, heads for east Caribbean
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The Atlantic season's first hurricane, Beryl, formed Friday and headed for a weekend push into the eastern Caribbean, threatening islands still struggling to recover from last year's storms.
A hurricane watch was issued for Dominica as the Category 1 storm reached maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. The island's meteorological service warned of six to 12 inches of rain and said weather conditions would start deteriorating Saturday night on Dominica, which is rebuilding from Hurricane Maria, which hit as a Category 5 storm last year.
A tropical storm watch was issued for the French Caribbean territories of Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Martin and St.