Potential Tropical Cyclone Advisories Issued For Strong Atlantic Wave

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- At 5 p.m. Sunday evening, the National Hurricane Center began issuing advisories using a first-time method called the "Potential Tropical Cyclone Advisory."

This action is being taken because of the potential for tropical storm force winds for portions of the Windward Islands and the northeast coast of Venezuela in the next two days. However, a tropical storm has not formed yet but is expected to form and impact those areas.

In the past, the NHC could not issue watches or warnings without an advisory package and that advisory package could not be created without a tropical depression, storm, or hurricane. This year, NHC is issuing advisories for tropical depressions, storms, or hurricanes before they have formed, but could impact land within a couple of days.

If the strong wave becomes a tropical storm, it would be named Bret and move west-northwest, impacting the southernmost islands of the eastern Caribbean, as well as the northern coast of South America.

There is also a strong tropical disturbance in the northwest Caribbean Sea moving slowly north, which could also organize into a tropical storm this week and threaten the U.S. Gulf coast.

Both systems will have to be monitored closely this week.