Tropical Storm Zeta has formed southeast of the Yucatan Peninsula, and looks to continue to intensify as it slowly moves northward.
The storm’s current track would bring it towards the Central Gulf Coast by the middle of the week. Current conditions are relatively favorable for continued development in the Western Caribbean, but as the storm moves into the Gulf, conditions do start to become a bit less favorable for the storm.
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Shear is currently low near the storm, but shear will increase as the storm enters the Northern Gulf -
Sea Surface Temperatures are running near or above average in the Gulf right now -
Sea Surface Temperatures in the Gulf are marginally favorable for tropical systems (26-27°C), but the near coast waters are running a bit too cool for any continued development at landfall
Increased wind shear will likely weaken the storm some as it approaches the Central Gulf Coast later this week. Still, Zeta could bring storm surge, rainfall, and wind impacts to areas from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Keep up to date with the track of Zeta with our interactive map below.
Closer to home, a cold front and upper level trough will bring showers and storms later this week. We’ve got the latest on our forecast in our forecast discussion.
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– Alex Puckett
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