Tropical Storm Bret could strengthen to first hurricane of 2023
The tropical system is forecast to reach the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico later this week.
Warmer-than-average water in the Atlantic Ocean could lead to current Tropical Storm Bret strengthening to become the first hurricane of the 2023 season.
As of 5 a.m. EST Tuesday morning, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported the storm system was over the Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between the Lesser Antilles and western Africa, and maximum sustained winds hovered around 40 mph. The Lesser Antilles are an arc of islands in the Caribbean Sea – including Antiqua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Saint Lucia, and Barbados – that stretch from the Virgin Islands south to Trinidad and Tobago.
The NHC forecasts Tropical Storm Bret will move to the west-northwest over the next few days. It is expected to gain strength – possibly becoming a hurricane – as it nears the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico later in the week.
A public advisory bulletin on Tropical Storm Bret released Tuesday morning encouraged those with interests in the Lesser Antilles to monitor the system’s progress, though no coastal watches or warnings have been issued.
The NHC is also monitoring a second system over the eastern Atlantic. This system may become a tropical depression or tropical storm as it moves west, but is not an immediate threat to land. It is currently considered a tropical wave, but the NHC reports it will likely strengthen to a tropical depression in the coming days as it moves westward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic.
Storm systems in this area are rare so early in the year, and only three June storms since the 19th century have formed east of the Lesser Antilles, according to NOAA data. There is no record of two such storms existing at the same time in that area of the Atlantic Basin in June.
The Weather Channel reports record ocean warmth is providing the fuel necessary for these storms to intensify, with water temperatures near the system sitting 2 to 5 degrees higher than average for this time of year.