Local 10 meteorologists expect to know more Thursday about just how rough South Florida’s weather will get this weekend. For now, “uncertainty” continues to be the keyword regarding Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine — a system that could be in the vicinity of the Florida Keys and South Florida Saturday, possibly bringing tropical storm conditions.
Pinpointing the exact level of impact for the region continues to be a difficult task as the system tries to organize and become a tropical storm. It has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. However, hurricane hunters have not yet found a well-defined center of circulation that would upgrade the disturbance to Tropical Storm Isaias.
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Forecasters still believe it will become a tropical storm sometime Wednesday.
Local 10 Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross says, “The rule is, if you don’t know where the center is today, and we don’t, you can’t make an accurate forecast of its future.”
PTC 9 is still quite lopsided with no defined center of circulation to classify it as a tropical storm. Rain bands are...
Posted by WPLG Local 10 on Wednesday, July 29, 2020
National Weather Service forecasters acknowledge that while there is not yet a clear picture of what the weather will look like over South Florida this weekend, tropical storm conditions are possible with the potential for at least wind and rain impacts.
Norcross agrees, saying: “The odds at this point favor a weakening storm over or near Florida over the weekend bringing squalls with tropical downpours and gusty winds. But we don’t know how strong it will get at its peak. For now, be ready to take action tomorrow and Friday in case it suddenly looks like Tropical Storm Isaias will be stronger than is now expected.”
South Florida residents should review their hurricane preparedness plans and pay attention. Hopefully, this system will not be a huge deal, more of a reminder that we have to be ready for whatever the hurricane season sends our way — even as we juggle many other issues happening around us, including the pandemic.
WATCH LIVE: Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine radar
LISTEN: Bryan Norcross Podcast — Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine with Dr. Phil Klotzbach
FOR MORE COVERAGE: Visit our Local 10 Hurricane Page.