The National Hurricane Center says there is a high probability a tropical depression will form by the end of the week over the northern Gulf of Mexico, which has the potential to produce heavy rain over Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the area of low pressure is expected to move into the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.
“Steering of this system is very weak and eratic and the system is expected to bob and weave and meander around the northern Gulf Coast and by virtue of that this thing is going to produce heavy rain all along the Gulf Coast,” said Keim.
Keim says eight to ten inches of rain could fall across the northern Gulf Coast later this week. He says this system has some similarities to the historic 2016 south Louisiana flood.
“That one had very weak steering currents like this one and they are expecting a slow drift westward along the Gulf Coast, although where this thing ends up is anyone’s guess right now,” said Keim.
Keim says as long as this possible tropical depression or storm doesn’t develop into anything too significant, the potential rainmaker could be beneficial to Louisiana.
“We can actually use some rain, I’m not sure we need 8-to-10 inches of it, but we could use some rain across Louisiana, we have a developing drought, it’s abnormally drive and it’s been excessively hot,” said Keim.
