The second tropical storm of the season is expected to strengthen into a hurricane in the Caribbean Sea later this week.
On Tuesday morning Tropical Storm Bret was pushing its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the west and into abnormally warm waters. Bret’s forward speed is 17 mph (28 kph).
Early Tuesday morning the tropical storm was located 1,130 miles (1,815 kilometers) east of the southern windward islands, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.
“Both the atmospheric and oceanic environment look conducive for strengthening during the next couple of days with low shear and abnormally warm ocean waters,” the center said.
It is expected to strengthen into a hurricane in the coming days but then weaken ahead of its approach to the Lesser Antilles. However, it is still too early to determine its track going forward.
AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno explains: As the system nears the eastern Caribbean islands, there is a chance a dip in the jet stream just off the United States Atlantic coast is strong enough to tug the system on a more northwest and northerly course. However, if that does not occur, a more westerly track will continue.”
If the storm tracks near the islands of the eastern Caribbean, gusty winds and heavy rain could result in sporadic damage, such as downed tree branches, minor roof damage, and isolated flooding in low-lying areas.
An unusual start to the hurricane season
The storm formed on Monday, in an unusual and rather aggressive start to the hurricane season, meteorologist Philip Klotzbach at Colorado State University, told the Associated Press.
Bret is only the second hurricane to form in the tropical Atlantic in June since record-keeping began. The previous hurricane was Trinidad, which formed in 1933.
A tropical disturbance with a 60 percent chance of cyclone formation is trailing Bret. No June on record has had two storms form in the tropical Atlantic, Klotzbach noted.
