Bret is 235 miles southeast of Brownsville, Texas, moving north-northwest at about 8 mph. Hurricane specialists expect the storm to turn toward the northwest during the next 24 hours. Bret's sustained winds are at 90 mph, with higher gusts, and officials expect the storm to strengthen before making landfall. While a Category 1 storm is capable of widespread death and destruction, a Category 2 storm is more likely to begin tearing roofs off of buildings and causing considerable damage to piers, mobile homes and vegetation. As Bret approaches land, its winds will push water into the coast, piling up a storm surge that could be 8 to 12 feet above normal tides, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Storm surges, rather than wind, are responsible for most hurricane deaths.
The highest storm surges will be near and to the north of the storm's center, as counterclockwise-rotating winds combine with the storm's forward speed to produce the strongest winds on the right side of the storm, as viewed from above. Officials point out that the exact point of landfall, if landfall is achieved, is impossible to forecast with 100 percent accuracy. Residents all along the Gulf Coast are advised to monitor the storm. Bret's strength is measured in barometric pressure, which is currently at 978 millibars, or 28.88 inches, in the storm's eye. Andrew, which battered Florida in 1992, had central pressure of 922 millibars.