ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.(Washington Insider Magazine) – As the storm that ravaged Mexico continues east, tropical storm warnings were issued for the Bahamas, Cuba, and Florida on Thursday.
The storm that was originally known as Agatha in the Pacific Ocean will now be identified as Alex in the Atlantic Ocean basin, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The tropical storm warning was in effect in Florida from Longboat Key on the Gulf Coast to the southern Florida peninsula, encompassing Lake Okeechobee, which is typically prone to flooding. According to ABC NEWS, the hurricane watch encompassed the low-lying Florida Keys.
According to the US National Weather Service, the Cuban government has announced a tropical storm alert for the regions of Mayabeque, Matanzas, La Habana, Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, and the Isle of Youth.
The northwestern Bahamas were also covered in the watch zone.
On Tuesday, the Atlantic storm season formally began. This is an extremely early beginning to the hurricane season for Florida, but it is not unheard of.
The National Hurricane Center anticipates that this storm may bring up to 10 inches of rain to parts of South Florida, but it will not bring high winds or a large storm surge. Flooding is still a possibility, as are severe winds.
As of Thursday afternoon, the system’s highest sustained winds were around 35 mph, with stronger gusts, according to the Hurricane Center. It’s predicted to strengthen into a tropical storm by Friday, bringing stronger winds but not hurricane-force winds.
The Hurricane Center indicated in an online article that “heavy rains will begin to affect South Florida and the Keys Friday and continue through Saturday.” Storm surge and floods are also expected, with the severity of both depending on the timing of the tides.
Hurricane Agatha, a Pacific hurricane, triggered mudslides and flooding in Mexico, killing at least 11 individuals and leaving 20 others missing, according to officials. It prompted rivers to overflow their banks, sweeping people from their homes and burying others under rocks and mud.
This hurricane is currently en route to Florida.
Agatha made history by being the most powerful hurricane to hit the eastern Pacific since 1949. Tropical systems, according to climate scientists, will become even more intense and destructive as a result of global warming.
