TWO TROPICAL STORMS LIKELY TO BE IN GULF EARLY NEXT WEEK… Tropical Depression 13 and Tropical Depression 14 are likely to move into the Gulf of Mexico early next week in the form of a hurricane and a tropical storm, respectively. TD14 will likely approach the Texas and Louisiana coast on Tuesday, while TD13 is moving toward the Florida Peninsula and the eastern Gulf of Mexico. While it is too early to say whether local impacts in south Alabama and northwest Florida will happen from either of these systems, you should know that local impacts ARE in the realm of possibilities, especially due to TD13 in the Atlantic. Each of my detailed posts from here onward will always feature a second paragraph concerning potential impacts in our local area. Be on the lookout for that in each subsequent posts outlining exactly what you can expect. Confidence and clarity will increase in the days ahead. A few late evening forecast notes are below.
POTENTIAL LOCAL IMPACTS IN SOUTH ALABAMA & NW FLORIDA… Confidence concerning potential local impacts in south Alabama and northwest Florida remains low since impacts from both Tropical Depression 13 and Tropical Depression 14 would not happen until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Local impacts appear more likely at this point due to Tropical Depression 13, currently in the Atlantic Ocean east of Puerto Rico. While local impacts will be possible, it is too early to suggest specifics for any given locale. Please check back with me over the next few days for the very latest on this developing situation.
TD13 IN THE ATLANTIC… Initial reports from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft crew suggest Tropical Depression 13 has not strengthened into a tropical storm just yet. Maximum winds around the low-level center of circulation remain around 35 mph. The system is rapidly moving WNW at a whopping 21 (!) mph! This will be a very fast-moving storm over the next few days, which is why the system is expected to reach South Florida and potentially the southeastern Gulf by Monday or Tuesday. TD13 will likely become a tropical storm on Friday.
TD14 IN THE CARIBBEAN… Tropical Depression 14 is located in the west-central Caribbean Sea. The center of circulation is several hundred miles east of the Nicaragua-Honduras border. Cloudiness and thunderstorms extend outward several hundred miles from the center of circulation, but organization remains fairly poor. TD14 will be moving over very high sea surface temperatures in the next 24-48 hours. Water temps are in the 87-88° range in most spots in the western Caribbean Sea. This could allow for strengthening. TD14 is expected to cross the Yucatan Peninsula before emerging in the warm waters of the southern Gulf. Interests in Louisiana and Texas should closely monitor the progress of TD14 over the next few days as the system will approach those areas by Tuesday.
APP ALERTS… redzoneweather.com/app is the link where you can download the free RedZone Weather app. We post brief updates throughout each day in the app, keeping you up-to-date about the latest happenings in weather across south Alabama and northwest Florida. Once you have the free app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) then tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
NEXT UPDATE… My next detailed video update will be posted by 7:15AM on Friday. Until then, you can catch many more updates in the RedZone Weather app. Have a great night!