Tropical Storm Bret may require storm watches, but not likely to become hurricane

Tropical Storm Bret could require tropical storm watches late Tuesday as it gathers speed on its westward path toward the Lesser Antilles, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

While forecasters do not project the storm will gain enough speed to become a hurricane, its future remains unclear, according to the NHC. As of late Tuesday morning, Bret featured sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving to the west at 21 mph, but predictions about where it might go later in the week are more uncertain than usual, according to the National Weather Service. 

Although Bret’s force will not cross 74 mph because of wind shear, the projections are for heavy rainfall, strong winds, and dangerous waves in the Lesser Antilles on Thursday, according to the NHC. Besides Bret, the center is monitoring a tropical wave that is likely to reach cyclone-force winds of 38 mph in the coming days. 

Bret is the second named storm of 2023. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts there will be between 12 to 17 named storms.