UPDATE: The latest from the National Hurricane Center and satellite data confirms that Tropical Storm Bret is struggling to better organize Tuesday. Intensification is still likely the next two days, but Bret may never reach hurricane status. Weakening is on track when it hits the Caribbean with drier air and unfavorable conditions. Tropical Storm Watches are possible for the Lesser Antilles soon.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Tropical Storm Bret formed Monday in the central Atlantic Ocean and is forecast to become the first hurricane of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.
As of early Tuesday morning, Bret was about 1,130 miles east of the southern Windward Islands and moving west at 17 mph. Maximum sustained winds were 40 mph with higher gusts.
On this track, Bret is forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane later this week as it nears the Caribbean and Lesser Antilles.
Meteorologist Justin Ballard, with the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network, said it's too early to tell whether the storm will affect Florida.
"Bret developed (Monday) in an area of the Atlantic that doesn't typically see activity this early in the season," Ballard said. "Despite that, Bret is forecast to become the first hurricane of the season by mid- to late week, bringing impacts to the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Any potential impacts to our area would likely not be felt until next week."
Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center say Bret's westward movement will continue for several days.
Bret is expected to continue intensifying the next few days and likely hit hurricane status late Wednesday or early Thursday. Bret is forecasted to then slowly weaken as it moves into the Caribbean Friday.
Conditions become more unfavorable for strengthening this weekend as Bret is expected to stay away from the U.S. mainland. Although drier air and wind shear will likely weaken the storm as it slowly tracks westward across the Caribbean, there is still enough uncertainty that Bret will need to be monitored closely.
Meanwhile, forecasters are tracking tropical wave in the Atlantic several hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. The hurricane center says the system has a strong chance of developing into a tropical depression later in the week.
Information from the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network was used in this report.
