Florida is on Alert as a New Tropical Depression Forms in the Gulf
Florida is bracing for another potential storm just days after Hurricane Helene made landfall. Tropical Depression 14 has emerged in the western Gulf of Mexico and is projected to evolve into Tropical Storm Milton within the next day, according to the National Hurricane Center. This marks the 13th named storm of the season, designated with the letter M, and is arriving earlier than typical, as such storms usually form around October 25.
The National Hurricane Center indicated that the depression is anticipated to rapidly strengthen while it progresses east to northeast across the Gulf of Mexico and could reach or approach major hurricane intensity by the time it arrives at the west coast of the Florida Peninsula midweek. Forecast models show strong consensus that this system will persist in its eastward journey, likely making landfall on the Florida Peninsula’s west coast by Wednesday.
Hurricane watches, alongside storm surge alerts, are expected to be issued for certain areas along the Florida coastline on Sunday. The NHC cautioned that irrespective of its development, significant rainfall may occur in parts of Mexico over the next day or two, and much of Florida could experience heavy rains from late this weekend through the middle of the upcoming week.
