Photo: NOAA
MIAMI -- The National Hurricane Center is now tracking Tropical Depression Ten. TD 10 is forecasted to strengthen to Tropical Storm Idalia on Sunday afternoon.
Currently, off the Yucatan Peninsula, it's expected to move north through the Gulf, becoming a tropical storm and possibly reaching hurricane strength before a landfall late Tuesday in Wednesday.
Governor DeSantis has issued a state of emergency for 33 counties near Florida's Gulf coast. Those include Southwest Florida, the Tampa Bay area, the Nature Coast and the Big Bend region with Tallahassee. The storm could bring heavy rain and above-normal seas to those areas even if it stays offshore.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* Yucatan Peninsula from Tulum to Rio Lagartos, including Cozumel
* Pinar del Rio Cuba
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for...
* Isle of Youth Cuba
DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK
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At 700 AM CDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression Ten was
located near latitude 19.7 North, longitude 86.3 West. The
depression is moving toward the southeast near 5 mph (7 km/h), and
it is likely to meander near the Yucatan Channel through early
Monday. A faster motion toward the north or north-northeast is
expected later on Monday, bringing the system over the eastern Gulf
of Mexico.
Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts.
The depression is expected to become a tropical storm later today
and a hurricane by Tuesday.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1001 mb (29.56 inches).