The remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly could bring drenching rain to South Florida ahead of Labor Day weekend, and a separate system that could become a short-lived Tropical Storm Edouard near Louisiana could eventually bring heavy rain to Tampa and Orlando, forecasters said.
As of early Monday, the area of disorganized thunderstorms in the Caribbean that had been Dolly was producing heavy rain in the Dominican Republic and Haiti and stretching out over the Leeward Islands.
The system is expected to head west-northwest at about 25 mph. It’s currently battling against dry air and upper-level winds that extend over a large area in the Caribbean. Dry air and wind shear hinder tropical storm development.
Dolly’s remnants have potential for some redevelopment as the week progresses, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. As of 8 a.m. Monday, its odds of developing dropped to 10% in the next seven days.
Regardless of tropical redevelopment, the system is producing heavy rain. The projected direction of the stormy weather system puts it near the the southern Bahamas or Florida Straits by midweek. It could then reach South Florida with rain beginning Thursday.
Meanwhile, a storm system located off the coast of Louisiana and Texas is likely to become a short-lived tropical depression or Tropical Storm Edouard sometime Monday, the hurricane center said in its latest advisory. As of 8 a.m., its odds of developing remained at 70% in the next two to seven days.
“The continued flow of tropical moisture could bring additional heavy showers and thunderstorms to the Gulf Coast states and the Bahamas,” according to AccuWeather’s latest forecast. “This flow of tropical moisture will keep localized flooding concerns in place from Houston and New Orleans eastward through Tampa and Orlando.”
After Edouard, the next storm to form is Fay.
“Tropical activity in the Atlantic basin typically increases around the Labor Day weekend as the season approaches its climatological peak,” according to AccuWeather.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said it expects only seven to 13 named storms this year. Of those, two to six would become hurricanes. It also predicted that there might not be any major hurricanes this year, or at most two.