- A tropical system has a 70% chance of development over the next two days.
- If it gets a name, which would occur if its sustained winds reach 39 mph, it would be called Alex.
- The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
The Atlantic hurricane season started Wednesday, and as if on cue, a storm is likely to form within the next couple of days and potentially threaten South Florida over the weekend.
The system has a 70% chance of becoming a tropical depression while it moves northeastward over the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico during the next couple of days, the National Hurricane Center said.
If it gets a name, which would occur if its sustained winds reach 39 mph, it would be called Tropical Storm Alex.
Regardless of development, locally heavy rainfall is likely across portions of southeastern Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize during the next day or so, spreading across western Cuba, South Florida and the Florida Keys on Friday and Saturday, the Hurricane Center said.
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The National Weather Service in Miami said “the chances of showers and thunderstorms will increase by the end of the week and into the upcoming weekend across South Florida.”
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“With the potential for deep tropical moisture moving into the area, heavy rainfall during this time frame could lead to localized flooding across South Florida, especially in areas that have been saturated due to recent heavy rains,” the Weather Service said.
While the rain will help to alleviate ongoing drought, too much rain over a short period of time will lead to urban and low-lying area flooding, AccuWeather warned.
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“There is also the potential for a few tornadoes and waterspouts as the system crosses the Florida Peninsula or passes just to the south of Florida,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
Meanwhile, a second system that’s in the Atlantic northeast of the Bahamas only has a 10% chance of development, the Hurricane Center said.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30. Federal forecasters anticipate above-normal activity for the seventh straight year: As many as 10 hurricanes are possible.
And in the Pacific, Hurricane Agatha made landfall Monday afternoon as a strong Category 2 hurricane 5 miles west of Puerto Angel, Mexico, in an area of fishing villages and small beach towns, packing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. At least 11 people died in the storm, local officials said.