Florida forecasters said Tuesday that they expect a tropical weather system moving near Hispaniola and Puerto Rico to strengthen over the coming days – potentially into another hurricane that could hit the state.
The low-pressure area in the Caribbean should develop into Sara later this week or over the weekend, according to Orlando’s WFTV. The station said the system is anticipated to drift into the western Caribbean as Tropical Storm Sara, and will likely become a hurricane in the southern Gulf of Mexico.
While it remains too early to tell where it will end up, WFTV said some models show the system moving east and into Florida.
The National Hurricane Center said Tuesday that environmental conditions appear to be right for development in the Caribbean Sea. A tropical depression is likely to form by the end of the week, as the system shifts westward.
By early next week, the Hurricane Center said it would shift northwestward.
Sara would be the 18th named tropical cyclone of the 2024 season.
Last week, Rafael hit western Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane, knocking out its entire power grid. Only a few days later, eastern Cuba was rocked by an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8.
Rafael brought dangerous and life-threatening surf and rip currents to beaches along the Gulf Coast.
Climate change is bringing hurricanes later into the year, with ocean water temperatures reaching record or near-record highs in the Gulf of Mexico. The normal Atlantic hurricane season runs through November 30.
“Don’t let your guard down just because the calendar says we’re heading into mid-November. Conditions and water temperatures in the tropics are still primed for tropical storms to form in the final weeks of hurricane season,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva warned on Monday. “History shows that Florida faces a higher risk of tropical impacts than any other state during the month of November.”
