As Helene exits, tropics could be active again soon

 

The southeastern United States cannot catch a break.

First, Hurricane Helene make landfall in Florida as a catastrophic Category Four hurricane, bring winds of 140 miles per hour and more than 15 feet of storm surge. 

Then, portions of northern Georgia and the Carolinas were inundated with feet of rain, leading to devastating flooding, mudslides, and dam failures. 

To top it all off, it rained AGAIN Monday in already-hard-hit areas, prompting new flood warnings. 

Now, attention turns once again to the Gulf of Mexico, where another system could form in the next week. 

Fortunately, it will be at least a few days until a new tropical cyclone potentially forms. But the National Hurricane Center does have a 40% of development over the next seven days. 

It's too early to say the future location of the theoretical storm, but early indications point to mainland Florida as a potential target. 

Many are hoping for a calm stretch of weather in the Gulf of Mexico, but time is not on our side, so to speak. There are still two full months of hurricane season left to go in the Atlantic Basin.