Tropical Storm Bret Strengthens as it Heads for Windward Islands

MIAMI, Florida – A strengthening Tropical Storm Bret is heading towards the Windward Islands on Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (mph) and forcing several countries to issue storm watches.

Barbados, Dominica, Martinique and St. Lucia have told their citizens to be prepared for the passage of the storm that was located about 645 miles   east of the Windward Islands.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that interests elsewhere in the Lesser Antilles should monitor the progress of Bret and that additional tropical storm watches or warnings will likely be required for these and other islands on Wednesday.

In its latest bulletin, the NHC said the center of Tropical Storm Bret was located near latitude 12.8 North, longitude 51.4 West and that Bret is moving toward the west near 16 mph.

It said this general motion is expected to continue for the next several days.

“On the forecast track, the center of Bret is expected move across portions of the Lesser Antilles Thursday afternoon and Thursday night, and then move across the eastern Caribbean Sea on Friday.

“Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts.  Some strengthening is forecast during the next day or so, and Bret  is expected to be a tropical storm when it reaches the Lesser Antilles Thursday and Thursday night,” the NHC added.

It said through Saturday, storm total rainfall amounts of three to six inches with maximum amounts of 10 inches are possible across portions of the Lesser Antilles from Guadeloupe south to St Vincent and the Grenadines, including Barbados.

“The heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding, especially across areas of higher terrain.

Isolated urban flooding is also possible,” the NHC added.