UPDATE (11:00 p.m.) -- Nighttime developments of the tropical depression have produced a broader patch of clouds, rain, and storms, and some improvement in the overall structure of the system, but it had not acquired tropical storm strength. The series of watches for the coast and interior Big Bend counties remains unchanged.
MIDWAY, Fla. (WTXL) -- The tropical depression lingering in the south-central Gulf of Mexico is still rather ragged in its current form, but there's enough opportunity for the system to bring tropical storm-like conditions to the Big Bend area.
The center of Tropical Depression Nine is located over 400 miles from Tampa, or about 350 miles from the Apalachicola area, moving north-northwest at 2 mph. Peak winds as of late Tuesday night are 35 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
With the late-day NHC advisory, a series of tropical storm watches has been expanded from offshore waters to include the coastal zones from west of Indian Pass to the Walton/Bay county line.
A Hurricane Watch has been issued for the entire Big Bend region, from Indian Pass east and southward to the Anclote River on the Florida west coast. Inland tropical storm watches are also up for interior Big Bend counties, including Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Liberty, and Lafayette.
The system has been on an onward slow move to the west through the day. As a cold front starts to enter the Southeastern United States Wednesday and Thursday, the storm will be forced to turn more to the north, and then to the northeast, toward the Florida Gulf coast.
The storm remains over water temperatures above 80°, which would typically support further intensification. However, upper-level winds in the northeast Gulf are also still rather rapid, creating wind shear that is negatively impacting the storm's ability to strengthen.
There remains the expectation for the storm to move into the northeastern Gulf region as a stronger tropical storm, increasing the chances for higher surf in the Apalachee Bay region, increasing coastal water levels, and causing gusty, squally conditions.
Abundant moisture associated with the system will likely translate into heavy rain for the peninsula and sections of the Big Bend. Widespread rain totals of five inches are possible east of the Ochlockonee River, with lesser totals to the west. Some isolated totals may exceed ten inches in the Suwannee Valley, southeast Big Bend, and the central Florida peninsula.
