A tropical storm might be headed for the East Coast
NOAA/National Hurricane Center
Forecasters expect a tropical cyclone that's brewing in the Gulf of Mexico to soon gain enough strength to be named as a tropical storm.
For now weather experts are calling it "tropical depression nine," or TD9, which means it can blow sustained winds up to 38 mph for at least a minute.
TD9 first appeared on Sunday, Aug. 28, near Havana, Cuba, and has moved west into the Gulf's warm waters ever since.
Most computer models predict TD9 will gain steam before curving northeast and cutting across central to northern Florida.
Dr. Rick Knabb, the direction of NOAA's National Hurricane Center, gave it up to a 50% chance of becoming a tropical storm before it makes landfall just north of Tampa:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/770699473228066817
Chances of winds of tropical storm force at individual locations in central/north FL 30-50%. https://t.co/s0BJ7uZuy1 pic.twitter.com/w1Luq9mk8l
But a number of computer models also predict the storm will continue on north — then stall over the eastern seaboard of the US:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/770657915908698112
A few models showing possibility of #TD9 stalling a bit off the East Coast this weekend. Will have to watch closely. pic.twitter.com/E73lNJ1Il8
Three of the models even predict the storm will blow out slightly into the Atlantic, then hook back westward to impact the New England area sometime over Labor Day weekend:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/770695547527294976
GFDL & HWRF similar to Euro...sends storm past us, then hooks it back west late weekend. pic.twitter.com/N5FI2LBwR7
Still, as many meteorologists are reminding their followers, it's still early for TD9.
Until a "hurricane hunter" mission returns from its flight to gather fresh data and gauge the depression's strength, all bets are off.
Stay tuned to Business Insider this week as we keep tabs on TD9 and other powerful weather systems.
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