The National Hurricane Center has forecast an increased likelihood that a tropical depression or storm could form in the Atlantic Ocean and could threaten Florida this week.
Based on the NHC’s 1 p.m. tropical outlook, forecasters say there is a good chance a large system forming more than 200 miles north of Puerto Rico will become a subtropical or tropical depression while it turns west-southwest or west-southwest over the central west or southwest Atlantic. this week.
The chance of forming on Sunday increases to 80% for a formation within the next 48 hours and a 90% chance for a formation within the next five days.
Residents of Florida’s east coast and the Bahamas should closely monitor the storm’s progress, the NHC said. Regardless of development, there is an increased risk of coastal flooding, strong winds, heavy rain, rough surf and beach erosion.
“It looks like we’re going to get worse as the work week goes on,” said NWS forecaster John Pendergrast. “The deterioration in central Florida will start mostly Tuesday and late Tuesday, and then continue through Thursday.”
The two areas in Central Florida that received the most attention were residents living near St. Louis. The Johns River and other low-lying areas near rivers and beaches will suffer from erosion, Pendergrass said. Forecasters are forecasting river levels to rise slightly or stay the same, depending on how much rainfall is currently expected to be between 3 and 4 inches, he said.
Pendergrass said Tuesday’s election day should not be affected by the rain.
“It doesn’t look like the actual immediate impact of the system will become apparent until after Tuesday,” he said.
Florida Department of Emergency Management and Governor. Ron DeSantis has issued a warning asking people to prepare.
on a sunday afternoon tweetDeSantis said his administration is closely monitoring the system and warned Floridians should prepare for an increased risk of coastal flooding, high winds, rain, rapids and beach erosion.
Likewise, the Florida Department of Emergency Management tweeted that while the system’s path remains uncertain, residents on the state’s east coast should prepare emergency supply kits for at least seven days.
Forecasters said there is an “increasing risk” of coastal flooding, strong winds and heavy rainfall along Florida’s east coast.
The system is expected to bring heavy rain to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands this weekend.
If its intensity increases, it could become Tropical Storm Nicole.
The NHC is also monitoring an area of weak non-tropical low pressure several hundred miles east of Bermuda, with a 70 percent chance of a naming system forming in the Atlantic in the next few days.
The system is expected to turn to the northeast and merge with a strong cold front by the middle of the week.
Last week saw the formation of the sixth and seventh hurricanes of the season, with Hurricane Lisa hitting Belize on Thursday morning and Hurricane Martin becoming extratropical in the North Atlantic on Thursday afternoon.
Atlantic hurricane season runs through November. 30. The 14 systems named through Martin this season have now met NOAA’s projections for 2022.
NOAA is forecasting an above-average season with 14 to 21 named tropical storms. This follows a record 30 naming systems in 2020 and 21 naming storms in 2021.