TRACKING THE TROPICS: An update on the Gulf of Mexico

There is the potential for a tropical cyclone to develop later this week

SAN ANTONIO – We're in the middle of the Atlantic hurricane season, and the tropics are heating up.

As of Tuesday evening, the National Hurricane Center has determined that an area of low pressure near West Florida will strengthen over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, likely developing into a tropical depression or even a tropical storm, with wind speeds over 39 mph, in the next 48 hours.

Regardless of how strong this potential storm becomes, most forecasting models, which are called "spaghetti plots" because of the different potential paths, are currently suggesting that any direct impacts would be limited to the Louisiana coastline. Heavy, tropical rains would likely trek up the lower Mississippi River Valley by Saturday and Sunday.

But what about the impacts to Texas? For now, it looks as if the Lone Star State would be on the dry side of the storm. That means that we'd be in for a sunny and hot weekend with temperatures in the upper 90s.

Until then, an unsettled weather pattern will allow for isolated to scattered showers and storms around San Antonio for the rest of the week. It will still be hot, with highs in the 90s and heat index values near 100 degrees. Your Weather Authority will continue to keep you informed and updated throughout the rest of the Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts through the end of November.


About the Author:

Sarah Spivey is a San Antonio native who grew up watching KSAT. She has been a proud member of the KSAT Weather Authority Team since 2017. Sarah is a Clark High School and Texas A&M University graduate. She previously worked at KTEN News. When Sarah is not busy forecasting, she enjoys hanging out with her husband and cat, and playing music.