Tropical Depression 2: Sloppy storm drifts south, Florida rains

It does not seem like Tropical Depression Two will develop further. Conditions are becoming less favorable to grow in strength.

The latest satellite image shows a very unimpressive Tropical Depression Two. Our Weather Radar shows the system’s center completely visible swirling as the convection is all shifted to the right, or east, by the strong wind shear coming mainly from the west. This is very typical of June storms.

Air Force Hurricane Hunters are investigating the storm and they have found that TD2 has not gained tropical storm status. Although earlier satellite measurements indicated that the system was on the verge of being a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center meteorologists decided against upgrading it and keeping it as a tropical depression earlier this morning, as they waited for official measurements from the Hurricane Hunters. Regardless, the small window the storm had to gain strength is quickly diminishing. We could end up saving the first name of the list for another storm.

As there is a high pressure over the western Gulf of Mexico and a trough over Florida, the system is moving to the south. This same movement is expected to continue today with an increase in speed to the south-southeast late Friday and Saturday.

This system is not a big wind maker. Aside from the fact that it is small, the winds are barely at 35 mph and these same winds will be mainly shifted to the south of the center over the Gulf of Mexico, nowhere near land.

The rain on the other hand will be the main impact of this system. Through Sunday morning, there will be heavy rains affecting parts of South Florida. From Inland Collier County to inland Palm Beach, and southward to Miami-Dade County, there could be heavy periods of rain with some areas possibly receiving between 1 to 4 inches of rain, with isolated areas up to 5 inches of rain. South Florida has received plenty of rain this week. This makes the ground already saturated and flooding more prone to develop.

Stay tuned to this story, we will update throughout the day with the latest developments.