The National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, has given the system a 60 percent chance to form into a tropical depression over the next five days.
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A tropical storm warning took effect Sunday morning for much of Florida’s western coast, with the threat of heavy rains and high wind moving quickly northeast from the Gulf of Mexico.
An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system later today.
Scattered to numerous thunderstorms are expected Sunday afternoon and evening, including storms capable of producing strong gusty winds, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm has maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour and is moving north at 8 miles per hour.
On Monday night, Tropical Depression 3 is forecast to move over North Florida and Georgia before moving into SC by Tuesday morning.
In the Mid-Atlantic region, the nation’s capital and more than 17 million people braced for the possibility of severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and tornadoes Sunday. Forecasters said Saturday that locally heavy rain and flooding are possible during the next several days for portions of the Yucatan, western Cuba, the Florida Keys and Florida. The rain is expected to diminish this week and dry out areas such as Southeast Texas, where officials gave evacuation order to about 2,000 homes.
Saturday Governor Rick Scott urged Florida residents to prepare for the potential of severe weather. It has been 11 years since Alachua and Marion counties were struck by Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, both tropical storms by they time they passed over the area.
MONDAY NIGHT: A highly complicated forecast… with tropical depression and/or tropical storm conditions possible as what is now TD 3 moves across southern Georgia. La Nina is expected to become more prominent in the Fall, which could aid in tropical storm growth at the end of the season.
Bielling noted that unless the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center significantly changes its forecasts, an EOC activation would not be necessary.
“These first three storms have been very weak systems, even though Bonnie produced a lot of rain in South Carolina”, Sater said.
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The Atlantic Hurricane Season started June 1 and runs until November 30.
