
Caribbean islands issue watches for Hurricane Beryl
July 6 (UPI) -- A number of Caribbean islands issued tropical storm and hurricane watches Friday afternoon ahead of Category 1 Hurricane Beryl, which the National Hurricane Center described as a "miniature" and unpredictable. The center of the storm was located 965 miles east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles and was moving west near 15 mph, the NHC said in its 5 p.m. EDT update. The storm had sustained winds of 80 mph, and hurricane-force winds extend 10 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds 35 miles from the center. Dominica issued a hurricane watch, while a tropical storm watch was in effect for the islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy. Forecasters said they expect the storm to pick up speed over the weekend and approach the Lesser Antilles be...