Pay attention to gathering gulf storm, forecasters tell Florida

The 16th tropical depression of the season is expected to intensify into Tropical Storm Nate, possibly today, and threaten the Florida gulf coast by Sunday morning, according to a forecast from the National Hurricane Center.

The 11 a.m. forecast on Wednesday, Oct. 4 shows the disturbance moving north from the coastal areas of Nicaragua later today and entering the Gulf of Mexico by Saturday morning as a tropical storm.

Forecasters expect organization of the weather disturbance to improve throughout today, possibly reaching the 39 mph threshold for named status by tonight. Several factors will determine the storm’s ultimate path, but the National Hurricane Center is advising residents of the gulf coast from Louisiana to Florida to watch as this storm progresses.

Officially, the forecast is for the storm to grow into an 80 mph hurricane before reaching landfall. 

Debris cleanup is still underway around the Sarasota area and on the barrier islands after Hurricane Irma, which passed up the center of the state on Sept. 10-11.