MIAMI — Tropical storm warnings are in effect for St. Lucia and Martinique as Tropical Storm Bret moves closer to the Lesser Antilles.
According to the 11 p.m. Wednesday advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Bret now has maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and is moving west at 16 mph. It was 65 mph in the 5 p.m. update.
Bret is about 290 miles east of Barbasos.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for Dominica, St. Lucia and Martinique, and a watch for Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
On the current forecast track, the center of Bret is expected to approach the Lesser Antilles on Thursday and move across the Lesser Antilles late Thursday and Thursday night.
TRACKING THE TROPICS: Hurricane Center | Hurricane Guide
The storm is then expected to move westward across the eastern and central Caribbean Sea Friday and Saturday. Little change in strength is forecast during the next day or so while Bret approaches the Lesser Antilles.
Weakening is anticipated to begin Thursday night or Friday after Bret passes the Lesser Antilles. The system is likely to dissipate over the central Caribbean Sea by Saturday.
Tropical storm-force winds now extend outward up to 115 miles from the center, especially to the north.
In addition, a tropical wave, Invest 93-L, is moving behind Bret with a chance to become a depression in the next day or so while the system moves westward-northwestward at 10-15 mph across the central tropical Atlantic through the early part of the weekend. That system has a 80% chance of formation in the next two days and a 90% chance in seven days, according to the 8 p.m. update.
