The National Hurricane Center is monitoring Invest AL92, an area of low pressure in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. It is not organized yet, but forecasters give it a 60% chance of development over the next 48 hours and an 80% chance over the next seven days. A tropical depression could form by the middle of this week. The expected motion has the system drifting east, then turning north.
For those of us along the Suncoast, the key line from the Hurricane Center is this: no direct impacts are currently expected for Manatee and Sarasota counties, and it is too early to determine specific impacts to the northern Gulf Coast. That means the right response is awareness, not alarm. Forecast tracks shift, and the official outlooks from the NHC and the National Weather Service are the ones to trust over anything you see shared on social media.
This also serves as a good reminder that hurricane season runs through Nov. 30. Late-season storms are nothing new for Florida, so take a few minutes this week to check your supplies, confirm your evacuation zone, and secure anything loose around the yard. It costs almost nothing to be ready, and it saves a lot of stress later.
Have you already refreshed your hurricane kit this season, or is that still on the to-do list?
