Tropical Storm Bret unlikely to cause problems for Houston region, meteorologist says

Tropical Depression 3 has officially evolved into Tropical Storm Bret east of the Caribbean, but local experts say the storm is unlikely to impact the Texas Gulf Coast.

Weather watchers say it’s unusual for a tropical storm to form this far out in the Atlantic this early in hurricane season, given that waters are usually still too cool.

While the unusual activity has drawn attention, Eric Berger, a meteorologist at Space City Weather, said the Texas Gulf Coast likely will not be affected by tropical storms or hurricanes until later in the season.

“Never say never with tropical weather, but the chance of this having any meaningful impact on Texas or the Gulf of Mexico, for that matter, is really quite low at this point,” said Berger.

“Typically, we don’t see much activity in the Gulf in June. That comes later in the season. It is starting off fairly active, so it’s certainly time to pay attention to the Tropics, but the current systems out there really don’t pose a threat to Texas,” he said.

Berger said, if we do see more storms in the Gulf, it will likely be in late summer.