PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – The odds continue to increase that a depression or named storm will form in the northern Gulf of Mexico over the weekend.
It might start as a subtropical depression -- the atmosphere is not in a wholly tropical state over the Gulf -- but if it sits over the warm Gulf waters long enough, it could well become Tropical Storm Alberto.
Recommended Videos
INSIDE: Interactive Radar | Weather Warnings
None of this affects the forecast for South Florida and the Florida peninsula, however. The threat continues to be for periods of heavy rain.
The Gulf system, whatever form it takes, will draw deep tropical moisture from the Caribbean directly over the peninsula beginning late Friday and increasing over the Memorial Day weekend.
On the satellite picture, you see the low pressure area located over the Yucatan peninsula. The upper-level winds shown in blue are pushing the thunderstorms off to the east and creating an environment that is not conducive for organization.
When the low moves to the northern Gulf, however, the environment will be more favorable, though still not ideal. So the odds of the system ever becoming a hurricane appear low.
The National Hurricane Center map shows the cone-shaped area where the system is most likely to organize into a tropical or subtropical depression -- again, in the Gulf away from Florida.
Finally, the rainfall forecast from now until early next week from the National Weather Service shows the extensive area with the potential for heavy rain covering all of Florida and the northern Gulf Coast, including South Florida.
For South Florida, the forecast for the weekend calls for a total of 3-7 inches of rain and fairly breezy.
The rain won't fall uniformly across the area, however. Some areas may get more, others less. Flooding due to the high water table from all the rain last week is the main concern.
DOWNLOAD LOCAL 10 WEATHER APP NOW - iOS | Android
