Tropical Storm Bret closing in on Leeward Islands & Tropical Depression #4 turns northwest
MIAMI - Thursday afternoon Tropical Storm Bret was near hurricane strength with sustained winds of 70 miles per hour as it moved west at 14 miles per hour.
Bret is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to portions of the Leeward Islands in the afternoon and evening. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for St. Lucia. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Dominica, St. Lucia, and Martinique. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Barbados, St. Vincent, and Grenadines.
Bret is forecast to move across the Lesser Antilles Thursday night and then move west across the eastern and central Caribbean Sea on Friday and Saturday.
Some weakening is anticipated Thursday night or Friday after Bret passes the Lesser Antilles. This system is likely to dissipate over the central Caribbean by Saturday night.
Tropical Depression Four, in the central Atlantic, does not pose a threat to South Florida. As of Thursday afternoon, it was moving west-northwest at 12 miles per hour over the tropical central Atlantic with sustained winds of 35 mph. It is expected to continue this motion during the next few days and strengthen into Tropical Storm Cindy. It is expected to remain east of the Northern Leeward Islands through the weekend and is forecast to weaken to a Tropical Depression by Tuesday of next week.