St. Augustine and St. Johns County should be watching a system in the Gulf of Mexico that could strengthen into a tropical storm next week and dump a ton of rain on the state.
The St. Augustine Record reached out to Ben Nelson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, about what to expect as yet another storm makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Kirk and Tropical Storm Leslie ramble through the Atlantic Ocean.
According to Nelson, the National Hurricane Center has increased the chance of a tropical depression or a tropical storm developing to 50% during the early to middle portions of next week in the Gulf of Mexico. If it becomes a tropical storm, it will be named Milton.
“This low-pressure center would be located very near a frontal boundary that will stretch across the northern Gulf of Mexico,” he said via email. “This storm system would likely move eastward across the central or southern portions of the FL peninsula towards the middle portion of next week.”
Nelson described the potential tropical depression as producing heavy rainfall ranging between 4 and 6 inches and/or 6 to 8 inches, “given the uncertainty in an event that is still five days from now.”
“Significantly higher totals are currently expected for areas along and south of Interstate 4,” he said.
Nelson said St. Augustine and its surrounding areas could see some nuisance flooding during next week’s high tides if there’s an extended period of onshore winds as the system moves across Florida.
Although forecast confidence in the specifics is low, Nelson said the system should be monitored closely over the weekend and into early next week.
Click here for additional storm updates. Click here for updates on areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: What can St. Johns County expect from that big storm in the Gulf?
