Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (FPREN) Storm Center | By Megan Borowski
Tropical Depression Fourteen formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on Saturday morning according to experts at the National Hurricane Center. This tropical development comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene caused devastating damage over parts of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.
According to meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center (NHC), an area of thunderstorms over the western Gulf of Mexico has been monitored since the end of September, when Helene was making landfall over Florida’s Big Bend.
As of late Saturday morning, these thunderstorm cells had organized enough to be defined as a tropical depression.
Named Tropical Depression Fourteen at 11 a.m. Saturday, officials said that winds were up to 35 mph and storm motion was slow, at about 3 mph toward the northeast.
The system is expected to linger over the western Gulf of Mexico through the weekend before it begins to accelerate eastward by the early workweek. By the early to middle part of the upcoming week, forecasters at the NHC anticipate that Fourteen will strengthen into potentially a category two hurricane.
Its name, should strengthening occur, will be Milton.
Regardless of the amount of strengthening that Fourteen undergoes, heavy rain is expected over the southern half of the Florida peninsula this week. The preliminary rainfall forecast through Saturday, October 12 is between four and 8 inches for locations along and south of I-4 and for the immediate Atlantic Coast.
The forecast for exact totals will likely change over the next few days, but the overall theme will remain consistent: Heavy rainfall for parts of the peninsula will pose a mounting threat for flash flooding next week.
Interests in the Florida peninsula are urged to monitor the forecast closely and to check their family’s hurricane plan.
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