MIAMI, FL (352today.com) – The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is closely monitoring Invest 99-L, a developing system in the Caribbean Sea that could potentially affect Florida next week.
A large low-pressure area formed Tuesday afternoon in the central Caribbean and is now causing scattered showers and thunderstorms. The NHC indicates high confidence that a tropical depression will develop in the coming days due to favorable conditions.
In the 7 a.m. update, forecasters indicated a 90% likelihood of the system developing in the next 48 hours and over the next week. The system is predicted to move west and then pause in the Caribbean this weekend, with further strengthening expected. If it becomes a tropical storm, it will be called Sara.
Next week, the system is expected to start moving north into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s too early to know the exact effects, but long-term models indicate several possible landfall spots along Florida’s Gulf coast.