HURRICANE Beryl struck islands in the south-east Caribbean today, with storm surges nine feet high predicted and governments warning people to take shelter.

“It’s going to be terrible,” St Vincent & the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said, urging that citizens stay at home and “wait this monster out.”

The category 4 storm, with wind speeds of over 130mph, is the earliest of its strength in Atlantic history, deriving its power from record warm waters — hotter now than they usually would be at the height of hurricane season in September after a summer of warming, hurricane specialist Michael Lowry said.