Hurricane season kicks off with tropical disturbances heading for Florida

Thursday marks the official start of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season – and it begins with a storm already brewing off the coast of Florida.

The National Hurricane Center season follows a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. In the agency’s latest forecast on Thursday morning, it said the area of ​​low pressure over the northeast area of ​​the Gulf has become “a bit more concentrated” throughout the night and conditions appear to be “marginally favorable” to the development of the storm.

But this development is not expected to be significant, the agency said, due to conditions expected in the coming days. There is only a 20% chance that it will become a cyclone within the next 48 hours.

“Either way,” the agency said, “the system could produce heavy rain and gusty winds over parts of the Florida peninsula throughout this weekend.”

The National Weather Service said the Tampa Bay area, which sits along the Gulf Coast, can expect a “rather wet pattern” on Friday as the system continues to hover over the Gulf. Heavy precipitation is considered to be the main concern of the system.

Atlantic hurricane season extends through November 30. NOAA has predicted that it will be a “almost normal” season. At least a dozen named storms are predicted over the next few months, with between five and nine hurricanes – and only between one and four that are considered “major”.