Tropical Trouble Spot in the Gulf Showing Signs of Development
We are two weeks into the month of June. That means we are officially two weeks into the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season. And as if right on cue, Mother Nature is showing us two potential trouble spots that will need to be watched. One of those spots is off the Outer Banks of North Carolina and is expected to move away from the United States.
The other is in the Gulf of Mexico and there is no way that the storm system is getting out of the Gulf without affecting a landmass somewhere. That's the one that we, who live along with the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline, need to be monitoring over the next few days.
First things first, there is no imminent threat to Louisiana from this particular system at this time. It is possible that this system could have absolutely no effect on the weather along the northern Gulf Coast. However, it is also possible that a tropical depression could form in the Southwest Gulf of Mexico over the next few days. This could mean at the very least an enhanced rain threat by the end of the week.
Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center have given this system a 50% probability of becoming a tropical cyclone by Friday. Should the system become a tropical storm it would earn the imposing moniker, Bill. But that is pure speculation that the system would even earn a name.
At this juncture, forecasters are describing this area of disturbed weather as a broad area of low pressure. It's not forecast to move out of the southwestern Gulf over the forecast period. The current speculation is that the system will begin to drift slowly to the north over the next few days.
Several of the tropical model runs do suggest that the system will eventually move further to the north and could cross the coast in southeastern Texas or southwestern Louisiana. However, these are very early model projections and should be viewed as
"a possibility" and not "a certainty".
The Hurricane Center has designated the system as Invest 92L so we can expect to be getting better information on the atmosphere surrounding the system as forecasters use available technology to monitor the system. So far, there have been no calls for Hurricane Hunters to fly into the system but those orders could change over the next few days.
Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center will continue to monitor this system for further development.
Hurricane Game Plan, How We Get Ready at My House