70% CHANCE OF TROPICAL STORM FORMING IN SOUTHERN GULF; LOCAL IMPACTS UNLIKELY… The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially kicks off tomorrow (June 1) and we already are looking at a system that has a high (70+%) chance of becoming the first named storm of the season. Right now, the remnants of the system that once was Hurricane Agatha in the eastern Pacific Ocean are centered over the southern part of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. This cluster of clouds will move northeast in the days ahead, reaching the warm waters of the western Caribbean Sea or southern Gulf of Mexico some time on Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center says there is a 70% chance this system will become a named tropical storm (first name on the list this year is “Alex”) as it moves toward the Florida Peninsula (not the Panhandle where we are, but rather the Peninsula where Miami, Tampa, and Ft. Myers are). The big headline for south Alabama and northwest Florida remains: NO local impacts are expected from this system, regardless of if formal development happens or not.
BIG RAIN EVENT AHEAD FOR THE FLORIDA PENINSULA… Regardless of if this tropical disturbance becomes a named storm, this system will be a big rainmaker for the Florida Peninsula. Places like the Florida Keys, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, the Everglades, and Ft. Myers may pick up 5 to 10 inches of rainfall before all is said and done this weekend. I suspect this system will remain rather “weak,” comparatively speaking, as atmospheric shear will probably keep the system in check. Basically, there is a chance this system becomes a named tropical storm but the odds of the system becoming a hurricane are quite low for now.
LOCALLY, MORE POP-UP STORMS… We had quite a few pop-up showers and thunderstorms today and I expect more of the same on Wednesday. These storms are generally not severe, although today proved yet again that some of these pop-up storms can occasionally ramp up and produce large hail and gusty winds. I will have more radar updates posted as needed on Wednesday in the RedZone Weather app.
APP… If you haven’t already downloaded the RedZone Weather app, now is a great time to do that. redzoneweather.com/app is the link to the free download. Once you have the RZW app installed on your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab to turn on the specific notifications you’d like to receive. All notifications are handcrafted by me. No automation and we promise not to bug you!
I will have more updates posted over the next few days about this developing tropical system in the RedZone Weather app. Have a nice Tuesday evening!
