The National Hurricane Center is giving a tropical wave in the central Gulf of Mexico a high chance to develop into a tropical cyclone over the next two days.
“So, this thing certainly bears watching from the perspective of Louisiana,” said State Climatologist Barry Keim. “It is probably headed over towards southeastern Texas, in the Houston, Galveston area. But we are certainly going to get some of it, but of course, things can change very quickly in terms of tracking.”
Keim says the disturbance is already bringing tropical moisture to the state.
“For the moment, this system will lead to a slight uptick of thunderstorms in Louisiana, even as early as today. So, expect widespread thunderstorms tomorrow and Friday across the southern half of Louisiana,” says Keim.
Keim says if this system continues to develop, we could see some high winds and storm surge along the coastline.
“The Gulf of Mexico, by the way, is plenty warm enough for development with sea surface temperatures up around 85 degrees, but there is some wind shear that is making things less than ideal for the formation of the storm which is certainly good news for us,” says Keim.
There’s also Tropical Storm Gonzalo in the Atlantic, which is expected to reach the Caribbean on Saturday.
Reported by Brooke Thorington
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