Where is the potential cyclone right now?
The tropical system, currently known as potential tropical cyclone seven, is located about 115 miles east-southeast of Florida Keys.
Maximum sustained winds are at 30mph at the moment and maximum predicted wind speeds of up to 60mph are expected by Wednesday.
The present movement shows the weather system moving west-northwest at 15mph.
On the forecast track, the potential cyclone will “pass over the Florida Keys or the southern portion of the Florida peninsula today, move over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico by this evening, and reach the central Gulf Coast by late Tuesday or Wednesday night.”
How dangerous is the Potential Tropical Cyclone Seven?
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) latest update, residents of areas in the Florida Keys and the southern Florida peninsula should closely monitor the progress of the system.
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Alabama-Florida border “westward to east of Morgan City, Louisiana, including Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas,” according to NOAA.
A Tropical Storm Watch means conditions of a tropical storm is expected within 48 hours.
A Storm Surge Watch is also in effect for the Mississippi-Alabama border westward to the Mouth of the Mississippi River.
A Storm Surge Watch means life-threatening inundation from storm surge could possibly hit within the next 48 hours.
The NOAA urged people to stay updated on storm information provided by the National Weather Service specific to their area.
The National Weather Service tweeted: “The National Hurricane Center has initiated advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone 7 (PTC7) currently moving WNW toward southern Florida.”
Gradual strengthening is possible during the next 48 hours and the weather system is expected to become a tropical storm by tonight.
The possibility of a tropical storm is “high” according to NOAA, which puts potential formation chance through the next five days at 80 percent.
The storm surge is expected to cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline, according to NOAA.
NOAA’s report said: “The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide.”
The water levels changes reads as followed:
Destin Florida to the Mississippi-Alabama border: 1 to 2 ft.
Mississippi-Alabama border to the Mouth of Mississippi River: 2 to 4 ft
Mouth of the Mississippi River to the Louisiana-Texas border: 1 to 2 ft.”
According to NOAA’s report rainfall is also expected to produce “total rain accumulations of 2 to 4 inches over the central and northwestern Bahamas, the Florida Keys, and South Florida through early Tuesday.”
Tropical-storm-force wind gusts may also occur today across southern Florida, and tropical storm conditions are possible within the Tropical Storm Watch area by late Tuesday.