“Tropical Storm Bret’s forecast track updated at 11pm, unchanged, moving westward at 28 kilometers per hour and maximum sustained winds have increased slightly to 85 kph,” the director of the Weather Office (Onamet) Gloria Ceballos reported last night on Twitter.
Weather forecasters in Puerto Rico doubt Tropical Depression Bret will become a hurricane as it moves through Caribbean waters. Weather forecasts in Puerto Rico are especially relevant to the Dominican Republic as most storms blow in from the East.
Both Puerto Rican forecasters make the point that forecasts are forecasts and not definitive.
El Nuevo Dia of Puerto Rico reports the system continues on a southern course that will not directly impact Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic. The United State’s National Hurricane Center indicates that wind shear has increased and will weaken the system.
The United States’ National Hurricane Center reports that sustained winds of Tropical Storm Bret have intensified to 60 miles per hour (mph), 20 mph above the intensity it showed for this same period on the day before. A tropical storm watch is currently in effect for Barbados, Dominica, Martinique and St. Lucia.
Weather forecasters say that Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic will receive the brunt from the outer band-caused showers, with large swells and dangerous sea currents on Friday and Saturday.
DR1’s bad weather forecaster, MikeFisher concurs. He reported the storm so far is on a track that bodes well for most of the Caribbean and the Dominican Republic included. He says the favorable conditions for the storm have become not so favorable. There is now wind shear affecting the storm’s shape. He doubts the storm will come our way as a hurricane.
“Bret is a blender and will not be more than an average tropical storm and will cover a very small area with TS force winds when entering the Caribbean Sea,” he writes.
But he warns that tracking is very unreliable when done too far out and there are around four days to go before it gets close to the Dominican Republic. For now, he says the DR will most likely be okay with this early storm. “So far I do not see real danger for Hispaniola,” he concludes.
He does mention Saona Island cruises will be cancelled.
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Hoy
El Nuevo Dia
DR1 Weather
21 June 2023