There is a disorganized weather system moving over Cuba which will bring strong gusts of wind, heavy precipitation and sea surges to Florida Keys as well as the Gulf coast of the state. According to Reuters, The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects the storm to produce up to 12 inches of rain in addition to winds of 73 mph as it progresses northwards.Upon its entrance into land, the storm may reappear on the other side along Atlantic Seaboard and slowly crawl through Georgia’s and Carolinas’ coastal areas early next week.
In anticipation of an expected landfall, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has already put most cities or counties under emergency orders. “Right now it’s over Cuba. We are looking for that to become a tropical storm by this weekend. Right now it is broad and sloppy but we expect that organization will take place once it moves back over water”, said NHC deputy director Jamie Rome.
If Debby develops from the system with winds between 39 mph and 73 mph then it will be named so.
“US forecasters predicted a total of 25 named storms including four major hurricanes for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season which started June 1st,” according to US forecaster. It is an incredible number compare with record-breaking season in 2005 when two destructive hurricanes Katrina ad Rita occurred at once.
At present, only one hurricane Beryl has formed in the Atlantic Ocean wreaking havoc across Caribbean Islands before hitting Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula then climbing up onto Texas Gulf Coast as category one hurricane with speeds reaching around 95 miles per hour.
People often use wind speed as a proxy for how dangerous a system is— “A classic case not to do that” commented Rome on whether or not this current system strengthens into tropical storm adding that “The rain rate, it comes down so quickly, makes it dangerous.” He also noted that it was still too early to say when and where it would make landfall over the weekend.
In preparation for a possible tropical storm development, authorities have issued tropical storm watches and warnings for the Gulf Coast as well as Florida Keys. “We’re ready,” said Teri Johnston, Key West’s mayor who was confident at readiness of her island community to face such cases, “Everybody’s on it, everybody knows what’s going on. Go out and get your 3 – 7 day supplies and water, batteries and make sure you pick up anything outside that could become a projectile. We’re ready.”
The predicted path of this storm resembles that of hurricane Ian which hit Florida in 2022. The catastrophic hurricane killed more than one hundred people in Florida State alone, caused billions of dollars worth property destruction following its movement across the Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, residents and authorities are taking necessary precautions ahead of this approaching storm to minimize risks and ensure public safety.
