Eastern Caribbean islands prepare for catastrophic flooding as Tropical Storm Bullet intensifies

San Juan –Tropical Storm Bullet intensified on Wednesday as it headed toward islands in the eastern Caribbean that were gearing up for torrential rains, landslides and flooding.

According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Brett had maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (95 kilometers per hour) and was heading westward across the Atlantic Ocean at 16 miles per hour (26 kilometers per hour) early Wednesday morning.

The storm, located about 645 miles (1,040 km) east of the Windward Islands, is expected to intensify on Thursday before hitting several islands in the eastern Caribbean with near-hurricane strength. Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique and Dominica have put tropical storm warnings in place, with officials in the region urging citizens to prepare for Brett.

Fitzroy Pascal of the Dominica Disaster Management Agency said, “We all know that forecasting the strength, movement and impact of the weather system is uncertain.”

Up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain is expected from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe to Grenada and Barbados, although it’s too early to know where the center of the bullet will pass, the Hurricane Center said. warned.

The Guadeloupe government warned of severe weather starting Thursday morning and continuing until late Friday, with waves up to 11 feet (3.5 meters).

“Be careful!” officials warned in a statement.

The bullet is expected to weaken as it enters the eastern Caribbean, followed by a tropical wave shortly thereafter.

The storm broke on Monday and had an unusually early and aggressive start. Atlantic hurricane season A tropical disturbance with an 80% chance of producing a cyclone follows Bullet. June is the first on record for two storms in the tropical Atlantic, according to Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts between 12 and 17 named storms in this year’s hurricane season. Five to nine of these storms could become hurricanes, including up to four major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.