By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, MIAMI, FL, Tues. June 20, 2017: Tropical Storm Bret was near Trinidad and Tobago at 11 p.m. last night. Here are 10 things you should know about this Caribbean storm:
1: Bret is expected to dump heavy rain the southeastern Caribbean including Trinidad and Tobago as well as Venezuela’s east coast, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said last night.
2: At 11 p.m. last night, Bret was 30 miles south of Trinidad and about 150 miles south of Grenada.
3: Maximum sustained winds was at 40 miles per hour with higher gusts, according to the NHC in Miami.
4: A Tropical Storm Warning was in effect for Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada and Venezuela from Pedernales to Cumana including Isla de Margarita late last night. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 24 hours.
5: A Tropical Storm Watch was in effect for Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area within 36 hours.
6: Tropical Storm Bret is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 2 to 4 inches over the Windward Islands and the eastern coast of Venezuela through today, Tuesday, June 20th.
7: On the forecast track, the tropical storm is expected to begin moving away from Trinidad overnight and move near or along the northeast coast of Venezuela on Tuesday. In anticipation of the storm, Trinidad will close all public schools today, Tuesday June 20, 2017, while the sister island of Tobago expects to shutter its government offices.
8: Meteorologists warned of waves of more than 9 feet along the islands’ coasts and said up to five inches of rain could fall in Trinidad and in neighboring Grenada.
9: A weakening trend is forecast to begin on Wednesday and Bret is expected to become a tropical depression by that time.
10: Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines cancelled more than 30 flights on Monday. They include flights from New York to Port-of-Spain and Suriname to Trinidad. The flights left hundreds stranded at the ANR Robinson International Airport, Tobago.
