Roll Out the Beryl

Shocking Supreme Court opinions aren’t the only things blowing minds this week. Hurricane Beryl is breaking records, causing damage, and confirming scientists’ worst fears. Does it seem early for hurricane news? Well, it is. And that’s part of what worries experts. “Yes, a tropical storm might form here or a modest hurricane there. But the really big and powerful hurricanes, which develop from tropical waves in the central Atlantic and roar into the Caribbean Sea, do not spin up until August or September when seas reach their peak temperatures. Not so this year, in which the Atlantic Ocean is boiling already. The seas in the main development region of the Atlantic have already reached temperatures not normally seen until August or September. This has led to the rapid intensification of Hurricane Beryl, which crashed through the Windward Islands on Monday and is now traversing the Caribbean Sea toward Jamaica. Beryl is, to put it mildly, a freak storm.” ArsTechnica: “It’s hard to communicate how unbelievable this is.” And recent SCOTUS decisions are connected to the Beryl hurricane story in ways that go beyond metaphor. Bloomberg (Gift Article): Supreme Court Gives Trump ‘Sword’ to Slash Biden’s Climate Rules.

+ “Hurricane Beryl reached Category 5 strength as it tore into the Caribbean on Monday, with sustained winds reaching 165 miles per hour. This marks the earliest point in the season on record that a tropical storm has reached this intensity.” Vox: Hurricane Beryl is the terrifying storm that scientists have been expecting.

+ “Beryl is rewriting the history books in all the wrong ways.” SciAm: Hurricane Beryl’s Unprecedented Intensification Is an ‘Omen’ for the Rest of the Season.