For the first time in 2019 the National Hurricane Center is saying there’s a chance of a tropical cyclone developing in the Atlantic Ocean.
The area of rain and showers over the northwestern Bahamas and very close to Florida has been given a low chance of strengthening into a tropical depression — 20 percent over the next five days.
And while it’s aiming for Florida, the potential strengthening is only expected after it moves away from the Sunshine State and north into the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern U.S.
Still, heavy rain is expected to drench South Florida over the next few days.
We can expect about 1 to 1.5 inches of rain, with up to 3 inches possible in some areas. The highest rainfall totals are expected along Florida’s Atlantic Coast from Fort Lauderdale to Jupiter.
Rip currents and dangerous swimming conditions at the beaches are also expected, as are hazardous boating conditions.
“Little development is expected during the next couple of days as the system moves generally northwestward toward the Florida Peninsula,” the National Hurricane Center said in a special tropical weather outlook issued Wednesday morning.
“Subsequently, some slow development is possible as the disturbance turns northeastward and moves over the western Atlantic.”
The hurricane center, based in Miami, said it would issue another outlook Thursday at about 10 a.m., or sooner if conditions warrant an update.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1 and lasts until Nov. 30, but that’s only the most likely time that Atlantic storms will develop. Forecasters also caution that tropical cyclones — which, depending on wind strength, include depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes — can flare up at any point.
So far, experts are thinking this year could see a slight decline in the number of hurricanes from last year, but another thing forecasters also like to stress is that it only takes one.
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