Tropical Storm Bret formed in the central Atlantic Ocean on June 19, becoming the second named storm of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.
Bret continues to maintain its tropical storm status but has strengthened a little, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. It’s moving west at 15 mph.
Bret is expected to remain a tropical storm as it approaches the Lesser Antilles on Thursday. Any additional strengthening is unlikely once it reaches the Caribbean Sea later this week.
Even though Bret is not forecast to become a hurricane, it will affect the Lesser Antilles with heavy rainfall, flooding, powerful winds and dangerous storm surge.
A Hurricane Watch and Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for St. Lucia.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Martinique.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Barbados, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
More watches and warnings could be issued for these islands and some of the other islands in Lesser Antilles.
Interaction with land and strong wind shear will weaken Bret as it heads west into the Caribbean Sea this weekend.
Regardless, anyone living or vacationing in the Lesser Antilles should pay close attention to the latest updates on Bret and have a plan in place.
Along with Tropical Storm Bret, there is another area being monitored in the eastern Atlantic.
Check here for a look at the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season so far.
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