The first tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season could form over the next couple of days, while another system in the Atlantic is forecast to track toward Florida's east coast.
The National Hurricane Center on Monday night designated the Gulf system as Potential Tropical Cyclone 1.
As of Tuesday morning, it was over the Bay of Campeche, between the Yucatan Peninsula and mainland Mexico, and had an 80 percent chance of strengthening into Tropical Storm Alberto by Thursday as it tracks to the west-northwest.
4am CDT Tue: Tropical Storm Warnings have been issued for coastal Texas from Port O'Connor southward to the Mouth of the Rio Grande. Heavy rainfall and moderate coastal flooding are the biggest concerns. More: https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/cAAtc9MZJj
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) June 18, 2024
Portions of the Texas coast were under a tropical storm warning as of early Tuesday morning.
"Parts of Mexico and far southern Texas may experience tropical storm force winds (Tuesday) into Wednesday, but the main story is going to be widespread rainfall triggered by this system," said Megan Borowski, a meteorologist with the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network. "Southeastern Texas could receive over a half a foot of rain between (today) and Thursday."
Meanwhile, an area of showers several hundred miles east of the Bahamas is tracking west to west-northwest.
While it has a small chance for development, forecasters say it could bring rain and beach erosion along portions of Florida's east coast and the southeastern U.S. by Friday.
