A tropical system in the Gulf of America is gaining momentum and is taking aim at Louisiana.
The National Weather Service’s (NWS) National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued its Monday afternoon update on the tropical depression. Forecasters are calling for the system to become Tropical Storm Bertha Monday night. The system is located about 100 miles south of Panama City in the Gulf.
“On the forecast track, the system will approach Southeast Louisiana in two to three days. Gradual strengthening is forecast and the depression is expected to become a tropical storm by (Monday night),” the NHC update said.
The NWS forecast station radar in Tallahassee showed much of the Panhandle experiencing downpours Monday afternoon, from the Big Bend area to the Alabama state line. The winds surrounding the system are sustained at 30 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph. If those higher winds sustain at 40, that’s the tropical depression will be classified as a tropical storm.
Meanwhile, the seas in the open Gulf of America are climbing. Earlier Monday, they were already at 5 to 8 feet. That has increased to about 9 feet. The high winds and waves will likely take a toll on Florida beaches.
“The combination of storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the immediate coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. Swells generated by the depression are affecting portions of the Gulf coast of Florida and are likely to spread westward during the week,” the NHC advisory said.
Small craft advisories and rip current warnings have been posted by the NWS for the past two days from nearly the entire Gulf Coast of Florida to the Texas coast. Tropical storm warnings are stretching from the Panhandle to Texas.
The NHC stressed that the tropical depression will likely not make landfall in Florida as it keeps moving west and northwest at 3 mph toward Louisiana.
“The main impacts across the northeast Gulf Coast will continue to revolve around bands of gusty showers. A few of the rain bands may pose a tornado threat in the coastal Big Bend, otherwise a brief tropical storm gust to 35 or 40 mph. Heavy rain from storms will also be a concern along with gradually building surf and rip current risks into the week,” the NWS Tallahassee forecast said.
