It looks like a tropical storm is headed to Florida, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has already declared a State of Emergency for 54 counties in the state.
As of Friday, at 11 a.m. ET, a large wave that was being tracked as Invest 97 was upgraded to Tropical Cyclone 4, according to WESH. An early morning update from the National Weather Service said Invest 97 was expected to bring a risk of excessive rainfall to portions of southern Florida Saturday.
It also said “a tropical disturbance is forecast to impact the Florida peninsula beginning late tonight when heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are supposed to spread across southern Florida and eventually work their way up the peninsula on Saturday.”
Later Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center said a Tropical Storm Warning was in effect for the southwest coast of the Florida peninsula from East Cape Sable to Bonita Beach. It also said a Tropical Storm Watch was in effect for the Florida Keys south of the Card Sound Bridge including the Dry Tortugas, the southern coast of the Florida peninsula east of East Cape Sable to the Card Sound bridge, and for the west coast of the Florida peninsula north of Bonita Beach to Aripeka.
“A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours,” said the center. “A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.”
Counties included in DeSantis’ State of Emergency issued Thursday were: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington counties.
“Interests elsewhere in the Florida Peninsula should monitor the progress of this system. Additional warnings and watches may be required for a portion of this area tonight and Saturday,” said the National Hurricane Center.
As of 11 a.m. Friday, the storm system was moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph. It was expected to turn northwest at a slower forward speed late Friday or Saturday, then turn towards the north on Sunday. By Saturday, the disturbance is expected to develop into a tropical depression as it moves across the Straits of Florida and then intensify at night.
“On the forecast track, the disturbance is expected to move over Cuba today, cross the Straits of Florida on Saturday, and then move near or over the west coast of Florida Saturday night through Sunday night,” the center explained Friday.
Hazards associated with this weather pattern include high winds, storm surges and tides that are likely to cause normally dry areas to become flooded, maximum rainfall totals up to 12 inches, flash flooding, river flooding and more.
DeSantis said the conditions are “projected to constitute a major disaster.”