Tropical Depression Nine was classified Friday afternoon, after a recon plane found a weak center within thunderstorms near the central Bahamas.
The official forecast cone indicates that the system should get steadily stronger, while probably remaining off Florida’s east coast. Of course, based on the projected path it will be close enough that areas near the “Space coast” (especially) need to monitor the system. Also, marine impacts will probably be widespread with rip currents and higher surf.
Here’s a check on the Tropical headlines as we head into the weekend. Parts of Florida remain under a Tropical Storm Watch (north of Jupiter) while the northern Bahamas will unfortunately deal with the short term effects of the depression.
Recently, moisture has been on the increase and arriving off the Atlantic Ocean. By Friday afternoon, some fast-moving rain bands were pushing across the region. Showers could slow down as the weekend continues (and become fewer in number) but expect soggy times nonetheless.
In addition to Tropical Depression Nine (which is forecast to become Humberto) there are two far away waves that we should watch in the days ahead. These have a medium risk of developing over the next 5 days.
