The warning is a reminder to Florida residents, visitors and businesses to stay vigilant and prepared for the possibility of severe weather, heavy rain and flooding from the depression, which could develop into a tropical storm before reaching Florida’s west coast. The system was expected to strengthen into a tropical storm before approaching Florida’s coast on Monday afternoon and evening, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
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It’s heading north at about 12 miles per hour, says FOX31 Denver’s Pinpoint Weather Team.
But South Florida will feel the effects whether the system in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula becomes the season’s third named storm or not, according to the weather service.
The rainfall outlook is uncertain beyond Florida, as the system may intercept a cold front arriving from the Appalachians (a common heavy-rain scenario), but also be accelerating quickly out to sea (minimizing the duration of any heavy precipitation).
That warning was updated later in the day to include the southern Georgia coast, which is expected to be impacted as the storm makes it way across Florida and out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Waterspouts and weak tornadoes will also be possible, mainly Monday afternoon through Tuesday. Hail and tornadoes were also possible. But do check back with us at weather.com for the latest on this system.
This hurricane season has already gotten off to a weird start.
The hurricane center added that watches or warnings may be extended northward along the southeast Atlantic coast later tonight.
Localized coastal flooding and storm surge can be expected. Alex never made landfall.
The hurricane center upgraded the storm at 4:30 p.m. CDT after getting reports of tropical-storm force winds from an Air Force Reserve Unit Hurricane Hunter aircraft.
The storm could dump as much as eight inches on the state.
The storm is part of a brisk start to the Atlantic hurricane season, which began Wednesday and runs through November 30.
Hurricane season lasts through November 30.
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Does it mean anything to see storms forming so early?
