Tropical Storm Bret forms in the open Atlantic
Tropical Storm Bret formed Monday evening in the open Atlantic.
As of 5 p.m., it was located 1295 miles east of the southern Windward Islands.
Bret is moving to the west at 21 mph.
Winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts.
This system was Tropical Depression Three, and was upgraded to a tropical storm by the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical Storm Bret forms in the open Atlantic
No watches or warnings are currently in effect.
DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK ---------------------- At 500 PM AST (2100 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Bret was located near latitude 11.3 North, longitude 42.2 West. Bret is moving toward the west near 21 mph (33 km/h), and this motion is expected to to continue for the next several days. On the forecast track, the system should be approaching the Lesser Antilles late this week. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Strengthening is forecast, and Bret could become a hurricane in a couple of days. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1008 mb (29.77 inches).
Bret is expected to strengthen, and is expected to be a hurricane by midweek.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1008 mb.
There is high uncertainty with the exact track of the system long-term, but it is expected Bret will not impact Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia.
