National Hurricane Center Issues Guidance on Gulf of Mexico Storm

June 1 is the start of hurricane season, and right on cue, the National Hurricane Center in Florida is tracking an area of disturbed weather in the Gulf of Mexico.

Anyone living along the Gulf Coast in Texas or Louisiana appears to be marked safe by forecasters. In fact, the system only has a 20% chance of becoming a cyclonic, named storm.

The area of showers is expected to eventually move eastward, towards Florida. This could be a major issue as heavy rainfall has caused widespread flooding recently in the Sunshine State.

According to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center, this area of low pressure is now located over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Conditions appear marginally favorable for some slow development over the next day or two as the system meanders over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.

However, by the time the weekend arrives, conditions are forecast to become unfavorable for additional development as the system drifts
southeastward towards the Florida Peninsula.

Regardless of development, the system could produce heavy rainfall and gusty winds
over portions of the Florida Peninsula through this weekend.

If this system were to further develop with sustained winds of at least 39 mph, it would become Tropical Storm Arlene, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season

The other storm names for the 2023 season are Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harold, Idalia, Jose, Katia, Lee, Margot, Nigel, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince and Whitney,

A storm name gets retired if the hurricane causes widespread destruction, such as was the case with Hurricanes Rita and Ike.