2pm, Saturday, October 15th, 2024
Tropical Depression 14 has been upgraded by the National Hurricane Center to Tropical Storm Milton. Also a flood watch has been issued for Hendry, Glades, and Collier Counties until Thursday morning. Expect the rest of SWFL, to be under a flood watch soon.
11am, Saturday, October 15th, 2024
Tropical Depression 14 has formed in the Gulf of Mexico.
At 11 am the National Hurricane Center issued the first cone, bringing the depression to tropical storm strength by Sunday and would be named Milton. The Hurricane Center currently has Milton making along Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday as Category 2 Hurricane with 110 mph. Depending on track, we will be watch the threats of heavy rain leading to flooding, storm surge, tornadoes, and tropical force winds. It still to early pin the exact details down. Watches and warning will issued soon.
The depression is moving toward the north-northeast near 3 mph. A slow northeastward or east-northeastward motion is expected during the next day or so. A faster east-northeastward to northeastward motion is forecast by Monday and Tuesday. On the forecast track, the depression is forecast to remain over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico through Sunday night, then move across the south-central Gulf of Mexico on Monday and Tuesday, and approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula by midweek.
Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts. Rapid strengthening is forecast during the next few days. The depression is forecast to become a tropical storm later today and a hurricane by early Monday. The system could become a major hurricane while it moves across the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico.
THREATS:
Rainfall: The system may produce rainfall of 2 to 4 inches across portions of the northern Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba.
Areas of heavy rainfall will also impact portions of Florida Sunday and Monday well ahead of the tropical system, with heavy rainfall more directly related to the system expected by later Tuesday through Wednesday. This rainfall brings the risk of flash, urban, and areal flooding, along with minor to isolated moderate river flooding.
SURF: Swells generated by the system will begin to affect the coast of the southwestern Gulf of Mexico today. These swells are expected to spread northward and eastward along much of the Gulf Coast by early next week. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
A full look at the rest of the Tropics can be found here.
