Tropical development chances increase in the Caribbean

ORLANDO, Fla.- – After a much-needed quiet stretch in the tropics, the Atlantic basin is roaring back to life.

Tropical Storm Gamma made landfall in the Yucatan peninsula Saturday and has since emerged into the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to make a hard west turn and meander in the Southern Gulf of Mexico/Bay of Campeche through the next week. The storm itself is moving away from Florida, but its moisture is surging into the Sunshine State helping to produce heavy rain locally.

A second tropical wave in the Caribbean now has a 70 percent chance over the next 48 hours to become the 26th tropical depression of the 2020 season. There is an 80 percent chance for development over the next five days. There is uncertainty in the exact future of this system, but it is likely to enter the Gulf of Mexico sometime in the week ahead.

Tropical storm conditions are expected in the Cayman Islands late Monday, a dangerous storm surge and hurricane conditions are possible in portions of western Cuba and the Isle of Youth by Tuesday afternoon and heavy rainfall is also expected in portions of Hispaniola and Jamaica.

The next name on the list will be Delta.

There are two other waves in the open Atlantic that have a very small chance for development and likely won’t impact land.