When will tropical storm Alex hit Florida and how much rain and wind are expected?
The first potential named tropical storm of the hurricane season is developing in the Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to bring heavy rains to South Florida.
Some time on Friday, " Potential Tropical Cyclone One” is expected to develop sustained winds over 39 miles per hour, when it would become the first named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season. The development prompted tropical storm warnings for the southern half of the Florida peninsula, parts of Cuba and the Bahamas.
The storm is expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds over the weekend as the tropical depression moves northeast across the Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatán Peninsula. The northeast edge of the storm system is already producing soaking rainfall in South Florida.
Tropical storm “Alex” expected to slam into Florida Friday
Overnight into the early hours of Saturday, tropical-storm-force winds from Potential Tropical Cyclone One are expected to reach Florida. Strong wind gusts could down tree limbs and cause isolated power outage. The entire southern half of the Florida Peninsula, including Miami, Key West and Fort Myers, is currently under tropical storm warnings.
The Miami office of the National Weather Service says the biggest threat though from the potential tropical storm is the flooding rainfall that it is forecast to bring. The heavy rains across South Florida and the Keys could lead to considerable flash and urban flooding.
The National Hurricane Center is predicting rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches with localized amounts up to 12 inches possible across portions of Central and South Florida. Southwestern Florida and the Florida Keys could experience coastal flooding of 1 to 3 feet above normally dry ground.
Tropical depression is the remnants of Hurricane Agatha
As experts feared, the remnants of Category 2 Hurricane Agatha that landed on Mexico’s Pacific coast on Monday are now threatening to develop into the Atlantic hurricane season’s first named storm. Fortunately, due to heavy wind shear and dry air the tropical depression shouldn’t gain much more force than a tropical storm.
2022 hurricane season will be above normal again
Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their prediction for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season. For the seventh consecutive year they expect it to be above average due to the ongoing La Niña and above average ocean temperatures.
With a 70 percent confidence, they predict that the season will produce 14 to 21 named storms. Of those, 6 to 10 could become hurricanes with sustained winds over 74 miles per hour, including up to six major hurricanes of Category 3 or above.