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Tropical storm may form in Gulf, head toward Florida
FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg says the tropics are heating up, but he is only concerned about one area that will impact Bay Area weather next week. He says there is an area of low pressure in the western Caribbean that will meander over the Yucatan and move into the Gulf of Mexico, where the water is very warm making it the ideal climate for strengthening. Osterberg says the good news is there is a wind shear over the Gulf that will slow its development. However, he adds that most of the computer models show that it will become a tropical storm and stay a tropical storm that will bring a lot of rain to the west coast of Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday. If it does earn a name, the storm will be called Idalia.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis directed the state Division of Emergency Management to prepare for a storm that could affect Florida next week.
"Residents should remain vigilant and prepare for possible impacts early next week," DeSantis said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The National Hurricane Center on Friday was tracking the weather disturbance over the northwestern Caribbean Sea.
The system was producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms, but it is expected to gradually develop in the coming days as it moves into the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
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If it strengthens into a named storm, it would be Idalia.
The National Hurricane Center’s seven-day outlook indicated the system, with a 70 percent chance of formation into a named storm, could go anywhere from Florida’s west coast to the Panhandle.
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