TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The moisture wave the First to Know Weather team previously noted Tuesday continues to have a high chance of further formation into a tropical depression over the weekend.
Now labeled with the identifier "93L," the still-disorganized system is centered near Cancun, Mexico, and moving slowly north. It's expected to meander a bit near the Yucatan Channel over the weekend, where water temperatures are warm and can support more development.
Forecast trends continue to vary quite widely in how things evolve, but several longer-range projections show this area of moisture eventually making a northward move into the southeastern Gulf early next week.
Closer to the Florida/Georgia line region, a broad area of low pressure is forecast to enter the Southeastern U.S. from the continental north early next week. The position of a cold front in the Deep South will play a role in the eventual path of the tropical low as its moisture streams into the eastern Gulf through Tuesday.
These and other factors are raising rain chances for the Big Bend region and the Florida peninsula early to middle next week.
While there is no guarantee that a tropical storm will develop in the Gulf this weekend, a depression or storm is likely to form later today. At a minimum, areas in Florida where the moisture goes will encounter soaking rain, and squally conditions would be expected in marine areas.
It's a great time to remind folks that disturbances over tropical waters, in the right setup, can lead to hassles for Gulf and Atlantic coastal locations. We'll remain diligent with the analysis of upcoming forecast trends related to this and other areas of unsettled weather in the tropical Atlantic basin.
