The chances of a newly named storm forming in the Caribbean next week and drifting toward the Gulf of Mexico are increasing.
On Thursday morning, the hurricane center raised the chance of strengthening to 40% in the next seven days, with no chance of strengthening in the next two days.
“Gradual development of this system is possible and a tropical depression could form as the system moves slowly north or northwest across the northwestern Caribbean Sea and into the southern Gulf of Mexico by the middle of next week,” meteorologists wrote.
Early computer models show an increasing chance that something could form in the spot south of the Yucatan and Cuba, but what exactly it might be — or where it might go — is an open question. The models aren’t very accurate without an actual storm to track, so they show a wide range of possibilities, from Mexico to Florida to the Bahamas.
“There’s a lot of speculation about what’s going to happen in the Gulf next week, but for now it’s just speculation. We’ll have to see where and *if* a coherent system forms, but given the conditions ahead, it’s worth double-checking the forecast,” Michael Lowry, lead forecaster for Local 10, wrote on Twitter.
The next name on the list is Helene.
