By Emily Nipps, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The tropical disturbance meteorologists have been eyeing has been upgraded to a tropical depression.
But it's still too early to say where it's going or how it's going to impact the west coast of Florida, Bay News 9 meteorologist Mike Clay said.
As Tropical Storm Lisa churns slowly in the Atlantic Ocean far away from Florida, the depression in the Caribbean Sea is giving us a glimpse of the real threat that may lie ahead. The beginning of fall is usually when tropical waves stop forming off Africa and start developing south of us, where they are more likely to curve toward the Gulf of Mexico.
This means more scares — or worse — for Florida.
But for now it is mostly a cluster of vigorous thunderstorms that is at such an early stage, the National Hurricane Center won't speculate on its path.
"The models are all over the place," NHC spokesman Dennis Feltgen said. So speculating on its threat to Florida or anywhere else does no good, he said. "All it does is get people confused and full of angst."
Still, the organizing storm in the Caribbean is a reminder that Floridians "should start directing our eyes south," Feltgen said. "The Cape Verde season is all but over, and now everything shifts west. Some of the worst storms in history are the ones that form during this time."
Feltgen said Floridians should have their hurricane supplies and plans ready as we head into October, historically the worst part of hurricane season for the state's west coast.
Follow This Just In on Twitter.