Met Office keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Bret

Jamaicans are being encouraged to monitor the progress of Tropical Storm Bret over the next few days as it could impact the country.

The Meteorological Services Branch says early projections are that the storm may move closer to Jamaica by Monday of next week.

It says Bret could become a threat as a hurricane entering the Caribbean on Friday and weaken closer to Jamaica thereafter.

Bret had maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (mph) and was moving across the Atlantic Ocean at 21 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, which warned that it's been unable to get “a better handle on the system's intensity and size.”

The storm was located some 945 miles east of the Windward Islands and is expected to pummel some eastern Caribbean islands late Thursday at near hurricane strength.

Dominica's meteorological service said Tuesday that the storm poses a “high threat” to the island and warned of landslides, flooding and waves of up to 12 feet (4 meters).

Meanwhile, the hurricane centre urged people in the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to closely monitor the storm and have their hurricane plans in place.

The storm formed Monday — an early and aggressive start to the Atlantic hurricane season that began on June 1. 

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