Beryl Was the First Atlantic Hurricane of 2018; Remnants Caused Flooding in the Caribbean

Watches Issued In Caribbean For Future Ernesto

Beryl became the first Atlantic hurricane of 2018 after it intensified quickly from a tropical depression at 11 a.m. EDT July 5 to a Category 1 hurricane just 18 hours later.

The formation and intensification of a system in the central tropical Atlantic, known as the Main Development Region (MDR), in early July is fairly rare. 

In fact, it's only one of two such hurricanes to form this early in the season east of the Lesser Antilles. 

Tropical waves, the origin of many late-summer and early-fall hurricanes and the predecessor disturbance for Beryl, typically don't have enough moisture in July to become better developed.

In addition, Beryl's track was at a fairly low latitude.

The remnants of Beryl then brought gusty winds, rough surf and dangerous rip currents to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on July 9.

(NEWS: Beryl's Remnants Soak Puerto Rico)

Heavy rain spread into the Dominican Republic July 9 into July 10 when flooding was reported in the capital, Santo Domingo, where more than 9 inches fell in 24 hours.

Hundreds of homes were flooded, and more than 100,000 lost power in the Dominican Republic, according to the Miami Herald.

The remnants of Beryl moved northward through the western Atlantic where it reformed into a subtropical storm well off the Northeast coast on July 14.

Subtropical Storm Beryl did not affect land and the final advisory was issued for the system late on July 15.