A Third Tropical Zone Emerges Near Florida Ahead of Labor Day Weekend

The tropical Atlantic is heating up to kick off the month of September. In addition to the remnants of the former Tropical Storm Dolly hanging around and the newly formed Tropical Storm Edouard, a third area of potential development could impact Florida just in time for the Labor Day holiday. Here is what you need to know as you make your holiday weekend plans.

Month of September Starts With a Flurry of Activity in the Tropical Atlantic

After a slow start to the Atlantic hurricane season, this part of the world's oceans is finally starting to wake up. September is starting with three separate areas of tropical development.

What is left of the former Tropical Storm Dolly is forecast to bring periods of heavy rain to the northern Caribbean as the week progresses. The island of Puerto Rico is in the line of fire for Dolly's impacts, particularly in the western third of the territory.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) are warning that a new surge of tropical moisture near Florida could lay the groundwork for the next named feature. Several different pockets of moisture in the eastern Gulf, across the Florida peninsula, and in the Bahamas into Hispaniola are ushering in a higher chance of formal development.

Relatively low levels of wind shear will help to support further intensification. Water temperatures in and around the Caribbean and the Gulf are well over the 80 degrees needed to support tropical weather birth and intensification.

What to Expect in the Days Ahead

At this point, forecasters do not anticipate that any of these clusters of rain showers and thunderstorms will go through the process of rapid intensification as they move through the eastern Gulf of the southwestern Atlantic. However, this zone does have all of the necessary ingredients to produce a potential named feature heading into the Labor Day weekend.

Even if the system does not take on formal tropical characteristics, residents of Florida and the southeastern coastline will want to be prepared for times of heavy rain and gusty conditions. Beachgoers will also want to be aware of the threat of rough seas and strong rip currents as they head out to mark the last unofficial weekend of the summer.

The rain is good news for the dry landscape. The accompanying cloud cover will also bring the temperatures down a notch.

Fay is the next name up on the list of predetermined monikers.

Elsewhere in the U.S, Tropical Storm Edouard will continue its push into the upper Texas coastline and parts of western Louisiana on Tuesday. Flooding rainfall could present concerns for this part of the Gulf Coast through Wednesday. Edouard is forecast to dissipate quickly once it moves farther inland into the heart of Texas.

The climatological peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, making this surge of action all the more timely.

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