A storm is brewing in the northern Gulf of Mexico. A broad area of low pressure, located just south of the eastern Florida Panhandle, is slowly moving westward over the Gulf of Mexico. In this July 9, 2019, water vapor loop from NOAA’s GOES East, the bright blue and white areas indicate the presence of high water vapor or moisture content. This disturbance has an 80 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression as it moves over the warm waters of the Gulf during the next five days, according to NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC).
While most tropical storms originate over tropical or subtropical waters, this one got its start over the southeastern United States and made its way to the Gulf of Mexico. This, however, isn’t the first storm with non-tropical origins. Hurricane Arthur , which made landfall over the North Carolina Coast in July 2014 and Hurricane Alicia , which made landfall over Texas in August 1983 both originated from a U.S. landmass.
At this point, the NHC says it’s too soon determine the intensity or track of this system. Regardless of development, the system has the potential to bring heavy rains and coastal flooding to parts of the northern and eastern Gulf Coast.