Invest 97L: System in Caribbean likely to make landfall as hurricane this week
There’s a 70% chance that Invest 97L, a western Caribbean system, becomes a tropical depression in the next two days and a 90% chance over the next seven. FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Brooks Garner said it’s overwhelmingly likely that we’ll see a hurricane this week with landfall occurring on Thursday.
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The weather conditions are favorable for Invest 97L, a system in the western Caribbean, to develop more, and it’s likely that a tropical depression or storm will form in the next few days as it moves north across the northwestern Caribbean Sea and into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
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Once the disturbance moves over the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said additional development is possible. This system is expected to bring heavy rain to areas of Central America in the next few days, even if it doesn’t develop further.
The northwestern Caribbean, the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, and western Cuba should closely watch the progression of this system, the NHC said in its advisory.
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Later this week, the same system is forecast to move northward across the eastern Gulf of Mexico later this week, and those along the northern and northeastern Gulf Coast should also keep an eye on the system.
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As of Monday, there’s a high – 70% – chance that Invest 97L, will develop over the next two days and a 90% chance over the next seven days.
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Will Invest 97L become a hurricane? Is Invest 97L tracking toward Florida?
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Invest 97L will likely develop into a tropical depression and “rapidly intensify” to a hurricane – with some models showing a major hurricane (Cat. 3 or higher), according to FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Brooks Garner.
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“It’s overwhelmingly likely we’ll see a hurricane this week, and it is likely to make landfall on Thursday,” Garner said, leaving four days – including Monday – for preparations, specifically along the Florida Panhandle and the Florida Gulf Coast.
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Should a storm or hurricane form, it would be called Helene, the eighth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
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Any local impacts?
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In areas along and just east of its path, there could be storm surge, tornadoes, up to 6 inches of rain, and winds over 75 mph. The Orlando area may be just east of those winds, while the Gainesville region will be much closer.
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Invest 97L tracker: Path, spaghetti models
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Orlando 7-Day Weather Forecast
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Orlando Hour-by-Hour Weather Forecast
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FOX 35 Storm Tracker Radar
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Track live when storms move across your area using the FOX 35 Storm Storm Tracker Radar below.
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More radar maps from FOX 35 Storm Tracker Radar
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