Eastern Caribbean prepares for heavy flooding as Bret grows stronger
Tropical Storm Bret strengthened on Wednesday, threatening islands in the eastern Caribbean with severe rain, landslides, and flooding.
According to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami, Bret had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph) early Wednesday morning and was heading westward across the Atlantic Ocean at 16 mph (26 kph).
The storm was about 505 miles (815 kilometers) east of Barbados and is forecast to strengthen before slamming numerous eastern Caribbean islands with hurricane-force winds on Thursday. A tropical storm warning was issued for Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, and Dominica, with officials urging residents to prepare for Bret.
“We are all aware of the uncertainty in forecasting the intensity, movement, and impact of weather systems,” Fitzroy Pascal of Dominica’s disaster management office stated.
The hurricane center said it was too early to tell where Bret’s center would pass through, but it warned that rain of up to 10 inches (25 cm) was expected from the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe south to Grenada and Barbados.
Guadeloupe’s government warned that stormy weather would begin Thursday morning and last until late Friday, with waves reaching 11 feet (3.5 meters).
In a statement, officials urged, “Be careful!”
Bret is anticipated to weaken when it approaches the eastern Caribbean Sea and to become a tropical wave soon after.
The storm formed on Monday, marking an unusually early and active start to the Atlantic hurricane season, which starts on June 1.
Bret is being followed by a tropical disturbance with an 80% chance of cyclone formation. According to Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach, no June on record has seen two storms form in the tropical Atlantic.
This year’s hurricane season is expected to include 12 to 17 named storms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is possible that five to nine of these storms will develop into hurricanes, with up to four major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.
