TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says Tropical Depression 19 has formed and could deliver heavy rain to the Big Bend area over the weekend.
As of 5 p.m. ET, the system is about 80 miles east-south east Miami, NHC says.
On the forecast track, the depression is forecast to move inland over south Florida early on Saturday, move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico late Saturday, and then move northwestward over the north-central Gulf of Mexico on Monday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts. The depression could become a tropical storm before moving across south Florida overnight. Otherwise, it is expected to become a tropical storm on Sunday and gradually intensify through Monday.
Regardless of development, this system is expected to bring locally heavy rainfall to our area, especially along the northeast gulf coast later this weekend and into early next week.