Tropical Storm Bret grew stronger on Wednesday as it targeted islands in the eastern Caribbean, preparing for heavy rainfall, landslides, and flooding.
Bret’s maximum sustained winds reached 65 mph (100 km/h) on Wednesday afternoon, and it was moving westward across the Atlantic Ocean at a speed of 15 mph (24 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The storm was situated approximately 375 miles (605 kilometers) east of Barbados. It is expected to strengthen further before impacting several eastern Caribbean islands on Thursday with near-hurricane force. St. Lucia and the French Caribbean island of Martinique have issued a tropical storm warning, urging residents to prepare for Bret. Barbados and Dominica are under a tropical storm watch.
“We are aware of the uncertainties in forecasting the intensity, movement, and impact of weather systems,” said Fitzroy Pascal at Dominica’s office of disaster management.
A special aircraft sent to investigate the storm on Wednesday revealed that Bret had grown slightly larger, with tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 105 miles (165 kilometers) from its center. Officials could not determine the exact path of the storm, but they warned that regions from Guadeloupe to Grenada and Barbados could experience up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain.
The government of Guadeloupe warned that inclement weather would begin on Thursday morning and last until late Friday, with waves reaching up to 11 feet (3.5 meters).
“Be careful!” officials warned in a statement.
Regional airlines LIAT and interCaribbean Airways, based in Antigua, stated that the storm would disrupt several flights scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
Bret is expected to weaken once it enters the eastern Caribbean Sea and is forecasted to dissipate by Saturday.
The storm formed on Monday, marking an unusually early and aggressive start to the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1. Another tropical disturbance with an 80% chance of cyclone formation is trailing Bret. According to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach at Colorado State University, no June in recorded history has seen two storms form in the tropical Atlantic.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted 12 to 17 named storms
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