Tropical Depression 16 will slowly drift to the northwest putting it close to the Yucatan by Saturday. Sometime tonight it will likely become a tropical storm. The next name on the list is Nate. By Friday, we’ll likely see watches issued on the north central Gulf Coast as it becomes more clear where the storm is going and how strong it could be. It will get into the Gulf by Saturday as a hurricane and by then there would certainly be warnings issued.
This is a steady mover so extreme rain is not a big concern on the Gulf Coast. It’s more likely to be a smaller storm than larger and that helps to limit degree of surge and high wind. There’s a small possibility of some small tornadoes Sunday. We still have some time before the real impacts become more obvious.
Friday becomes partly cloudy, with showers and thunderstorms returning on Saturday. Sunday will bring more rain and thunderstorms. The details and timing and location are unknown so have half a preparation plan for something that could be a hurricane but certainly have an alternate plan for anything you might be doing outdoors this weekend. By Monday this system will be gone far north, toward Tennessee, although another weak low could follow it with more rain on Monday for the Gulf Coast.
