A tropical depression is approaching the U.S. Gulf Coast, potentially bringing storm surge, heavy rain, and strong winds to several states this week. As of Monday afternoon, it was about 105 miles south of Panama City, Florida, with sustained winds of 35 mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center expects it to strengthen to a tropical storm soon.
The system is gradually moving northwest at approximately 3 mph, heading toward the northern Gulf Coast over the coming days. Authorities have issued a storm surge watch from the Mississippi River mouth to the Alabama-Florida border on the Gulf Coast. A tropical storm watch is also active from the Ochlockonee River in Florida to southeastern Louisiana, specifically the Jefferson and Plaquemines parish line.
The New Orleans Weather Service predicts storm conditions from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana by Tuesday. Wind gusts may reach 40 mph, with a possible life-threatening storm surge watch for the Alabama, Mississippi, and southeastern Louisiana coasts. The hurricane center warns of storm surges up to four feet in certain Louisiana and Mississippi areas and isolated tornadoes in the Florida Big Bend region.
Flash flooding is a concern until Friday from western Florida to middle Texas. Rainfall could measure 3 to 5 inches along the Louisiana coastline, with some areas near Lake Pontchartrain receiving higher amounts.
In the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Fausto is nearing hurricane strength but remains no threat to land. As of Monday, its winds reached 70 mph, located about 745 miles southwest of Baja California Peninsula’s southern tip, moving northwest at 10 mph.
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