Scientists are expecting this year’s hurricane season to be a bad one.
It started with hurricane Beryl in late June which wreaked destruction on the Caribbean and Mexico before landing in parts of Texas as a smaller category 1 storm. Many more are expected this year.
High Alert
That’s why the National Hurricane Center is keeping a close eye on any storms that begin to build up off the coast.
Right now, there is a weather system forming which is set to batter Florida this weekend. It is currently over Cuba.
“Broad Sloppy System”
The Deputy Director of the National Hurrican Center, Jamie Rome, said “Right now it’s a broad, sloppy system but we expect it to become more organized when it’s back over Gulf waters.”
He also said “We are anticipating it to turn into a tropical storm over the weekend.” And that storm could be a bad one. Even if it doesn’t grow enough to become a named storm.
What’s Expected
If the best happens and this weather system remains below the levels required to become a categorized tropical storm, it could still cause serious damage.
Rome said: “People often use wind speed as a proxy for how dangerous a system is, but this is a classic case to not do that. The rain rate, it comes down so quickly, makes it dangerous.” This storm could bring as much as a foot of rain to parts of Florida.
If the Storm Strengthens
If the wind strengthens to 70mph, this will become Storm Debby.
In that case, it will bring destruction to southern Florida and Fort Myers area. It is expected to hit by Saturday night.
Storm Surges
Ferocious storm surges are expected to hit Bonita Beach and Tampa Bay.
These will send powerful waves rolling inland and could sweep away anyone in their path.
Storm Warnings
Much of Florida is under storm warnings and emergency orders this weekend.
The counties under a state of emergency include Alachua, Charlotte, Hamilton and Pinellas, but there are many more. The full list is on the Florida government wesbite.
One Mayor Unworried
Mayor Teri Johnston, mayor of Key West, said that she and her community are not worried about the storm.
“Everyone’s on it, everyone knows what to do. Load up on three to seven days’ of supplies and water, batteries, remove all potential projectiles from the yard,” she said. “We’re ready.”
To Stay Updated
For those wishing to stay updated on how the storm develops, there are various sources of information.
The weather channel has updates on its website . Also the website Florida Disaster. Any main news channel will also have updates as the day progresses.
Comparison to Ian
This storm is already being compared to Hurrican Ian in 2022.
Hurrican Ian killed at least 103 people and wreaked billions of dollars worth of damage during its march up the coast.
