AccuWeather meteorologists say a new tropical storm might make landfall in Florida next week.
Thunderstorms have begun to form across a significant area of the Caribbean. “It will likely not be long before a tropical rainstorm forms and continues to organize into a tropical storm,” AccuWeather chief on-air meteorologist Bernie Rayno stated. The system would be called Tropical Storm Sara.
If the system does not make landfall in Central America and instead remains in the western Caribbean, where the water is warmer, it may develop into a hurricane.
“Not only does this have a significant chance of becoming a hurricane, but it may become a major hurricane very quickly,” AccuWeather’s lead hurricane specialist Alex DaSilva stated. “There are multiple scenarios with the feature in the Caribbean that are tied to the speed of development and track early on that could affect land areas with landfall and direct impacts later on.”
Sara could then begin traveling northwest, reaching the western Caribbean Sea by early next week. As a result, the storm might approach the Yucatan Peninsula or western Cuba before moving into the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, November 19.
According to AccuWeather, it is expected to gain up speed and veer east, implying that “a potentially significant hurricane impact could” affect sections of Cuba, the Florida Keys, and the southern part of the Florida Peninsula on Wednesday, November 20.
If the storm makes landfall, it may cause flash flooding and powerful wind gusts, potentially threatening people’s lives, power, and property.
Residents in Central America, southeastern Mexico, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, and Florida should keep an eye on Sara’s progress during the coming days.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami is also monitoring the situation. “Interests in the western and northwestern Caribbean Seas should follow the system’s progress. Regardless of development, heavy rainfall is forecast across Jamaica and parts of Haiti in the coming day or so,” the NHC says, adding that there is a 90% likelihood of formation over the next seven days.
Although the hurricane season typically produces seven storms per year, Sara would be the 12th. Sara’s death would add to the mounting list of fatalities from Hurricane Helene, which killed at least 230 people, and Hurricane Milton, which killed at least 24 people.
Both storms formed in the western Caribbean Sea and subsequently moved to Florida. Helene, a Category 4 storm, also had a severe impact on Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.
Meanwhile, Milton, a Category 3 hurricane, struck Savannah, Georgia; Tybee Island, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
Reference: New Tropical Storm Sara Likely to Develop in Caribbean, Here’s How It Could Impact Florida