Meteorologists are monitoring an area of turbulent weather that has a high probability of developing into a tropical depression, tropical storm or hurricane as it moves into the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico in the coming days. Millions of people along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida are therefore closely monitoring the system.
Millions of people along the Gulf Coast are being urged to prepare as the next tropical threat to the United States is brewing in the Caribbean, and there are increasing signs that the ingredients for a tropical storm or hurricane to form are coming together.
Numerous computer models are predicting a strong tropical storm or hurricane for the Gulf of Mexico by the end of this week, but the forecast is still subject to many uncertainties and can have multiple outcomes.
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The likelihood of the system developing has steadily increased and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) believes there is a high chance of a tropical hurricane developing in the western Caribbean Sea or southern Gulf of Mexico over the next seven days.
“I really just want to ask you to be on the lookout for tropical development from Texas to Florida,” said Michael Estime, meteorologist at FOX Weather.
According to the NHC, an extensive low-pressure system is currently causing uncontrolled showers and thunderstorms over the western Caribbean and parts of Central America.
“Environmental conditions appear favorable for the gradual development of this system over the next few days,” the NHC said in its latest forecast. “A tropical depression is likely to form as the system slowly moves northward across the northwestern Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico through the end of the week.”
Regardless of further developments, the NHC says this system is expected to dump heavy rainfall over parts of Central America in the coming days.
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The pieces of this complicated weather puzzle are slowly coming together. This includes a weather pattern known as the Central American Gyre.
The vortex is an extensive area of Low pressure that feeds on moisture flowing in from the Pacific and forms near or over Central America. At its core, it is a heavy rain producer with effects that extend for hundreds of miles and lead to the threat of torrential rains, flooding And Landslides for more than a dozen countries in Central America and the surrounding area.
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However, organized low pressure areas can develop into tropical storms or even hurricanes within the larger vortex if the water temperatures and the Winds be favorable for tropical development. Current water temperatures in the Caribbean are close to the record levels of last season.
The ultimate fate of tropical development will depend on the location of the vortex, how strong it becomes, and atmospheric steering or blocking patterns in the southern United States.
