Florida’s Big Bend coast may be battered by a hurricane early on Monday as a storm currently over Cuba gathers strength while moving across the Gulf of Mexico. While the official outlook calls for wind speeds to peak just below hurricane strength, forecast models “indicate some potential for the system to reach hurricane strength before it makes landfall,” Brad Reinhart, a senior hurricane specialist at the US National Hurricane Center, wrote in a forecast. Hurricane watches have been posted for the region for the storm that will likely be called Debby. It’s forecast to move into the Gulf where warm waters will allow it to build. Rinde said AccuWeather believes Debby may reach Category 1 strength on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale when it made landfall about 6 a.m. Monday in Florida.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 03, 2024 11:28 UTC