Invest 92L is now less than 80 miles off the coasts of Northern Florida and Georgia. Among several factors, dry air will make the system struggle to strengthen too much before pushing onshore tonight. Whether it organizes into a tropical depression or not, the disturbance will bring heavy rainfall and windy conditions to nearby areas. This additionally brings a threat of high surf and rip currents to portions of the east coast.

Local impacts will be even smaller. A notable increase in humidity in the Tampa Bay area and slightly elevated rain chances for communities north of I-4 will be possible. 

In the Southwestern Gulf, we are continuing to monitor an area of disturbed weather that has favorable odds to develop within the next week. Forecast models are in increasing agreement that this will attempt to become a tropical depression in the Bay of Campeche over the weekend. The National Hurricane Center has given the disturbance a medium (60%) chance of formation over the next seven days. Regardless of formation, this system would not bring impacts to Florida.

Now that “Alberto” has been used, the next named tropical storm or hurricane that forms would take the name “Beryl”.

Tropical Storm Alberto has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and is officially the first named storm of the season.

A Tropical Storm Warning extends from South Texas to NE Mexico as Alberto approaches the coast of Mexico. Heavy rain, coastal flooding and tropical-storm-force winds will occur Wednesday and Thursday.

Tropical Storm Warning runs from Freeport to South Padre Island in Texas, and from Mexico’s Rio Grande to Tecolutla.

Flood alerts are also issued for a large part of coastal Texas, from Galveston to Brownsville and inland.

Alberto is spinning in the western Gulf, close to 300 miles southeast of Brownsville, Texas. The storm is moving west at about 9 mph with sustained winds of 40 mph.

The storm is expected to travel west, directly toward the coast of Mexico, near Tampico. Landfall is expected late Wednesday into early Thursday morning.

Once Alberto makes landfall, a quick weakening is expected as the storm moves over mainland Mexico. By Thursday night, the storm should mostly dissipate.