Tropical storm could impact Alabama weather in coming days

Montgomery, Ala. - While summer is winding down, the Atlantic hurricane season is reaching its peak. A broad area of low pressure and clouds off the Miami coast near the Bahamas is beginning to organize as it moves west across the southern tip of Florida into the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center gives the system an 80% chance of becoming at least a tropical depression in the next five days.

Many of the computer models that forecasters rely on have the system becoming a tropical storm, with some as a low-end hurricane. The system will move slowly west-northwestward over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico this weekend and early next week. Computer models have the system making a potential landfall anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to New Orleans.

Strong rip currents and rough surf will be likely along the Gulf Coast beginning late Saturday into Sunday. Higher rain chances for most of the Deep South will also be likely.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center predicted an active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season earlier in the year and so far it has proven true. The World Meteorological Organization maintains a list of 21 names it assigns to each Atlantic system. As of writing, 17 have been used. The storm that may impact Alabama would be named Sally, Teddy, Vicky or Wilfred. If the remaining names are exhausted, which appears likely, future 2020 storm names will begin at the beginning of the Greek alphabet.