Tropical storm Bret is approaching the Windward Islands, where strong winds and rain are expected in the coming hours, the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center reported.
Bret maintains maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h, with stronger gusts, and is approaching Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia, the NHC reported in its 8 pm bulletin.
Bret is located 90 km southeast of Saint Lucia and 95 km west northwest of Barbados, moving west at a speed of 26 km/h.
The island of Saint Lucia is under a hurricane watch, while Barbados, Dominica, Martinique, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are under a tropical storm warning.
A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are expected within the watch area, in this case within the next 24 hours. A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area, in this case within 24 hours.
The center of Bret is expected to move across the Windward Islands in the next few hours and continue west across the Caribbean Sea on Friday and Saturday, the NHC reported.
Tropical storm winds from Bret extend 185 km from the center.
The Guadeloupe government warned that bad weather would begin Thursday morning and continue through Friday night, with waves up to 3.5 meters high.
Bret is expected to weaken after entering the central Caribbean Sea, and to dissipate on Sunday.
The storm formed on Monday, kicking off the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1.
Tropical Depression 4 formed behind Bret, which has an 80% chance of becoming a cyclone.
Never before have two storms been documented in the same June in the tropical Atlantic, according to Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach.
[Con información de The Associated Press]
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