Residents and visitors to the Southeast will have to watch more than fireworks this week as a low pressure system tries to develop toward the holiday weekend, possibly turning into a tropical system thereafter. Regardless of development, heavy rain and rough surf could pose hazards to the region by Friday or over the holiday weekend.
As a cold front drops south to end the week, it looks to stall in northern Florida, creating opposing surface winds over very warm Gulf waters. This situation can and has led to the quick development of tropical systems in the past.
The WPC is forecasting heavy rain around the Big Bend and Florida's Gulf Coast during the week ahead, which could cause flooding issues in addition to disrupting holiday plans.
Temperatures in the Gulf and Atlantic are well above the threshold for tropical develop (78 degrees F) and even are 10 degrees warmer in the northern Gulf, where this system could develop by Friday or Saturday.
The next name for an Atlantic system is Chantal. As always, we will keep you updated with the latest developments in the tropics.