According to a Wednesday morning advisory from the National Hurricane Center, an area of low pressure near the northeastern part of the Bahamas now has a 70% chance of forming into a subtropical storm or depression over the next five days.
“A broad area of low pressure is expected to develop late this week or early this weekend near or within a couple of hundred miles north of the Bahamas,” said the advisory. “Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a subtropical depression or storm is likely to form this weekend while it moves northeastward over the western Atlantic.”
While the hurricane season does not officially start until June 1, the unusually early start to this year’s batch of storms will likely collide with Florida’s coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz announced that his agency will be adding a surplus of face masks to the state’s stockpile of storm supplies. Florida, get ready to meet Arthur.
The state has not released details on exactly how it plans to deal with crowded storm shelters during the outbreak.
This story originally appeared in our sister paper Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
_
Please follow CDC guidelines and Orange County advisories to stay safe, and please support this free publication. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you news on how coronavirus is affecting Central Florida. Please consider making a one-time or monthly donation. Every little bit helps.
Related Stories
This article appears in Orlando Fringe goes virtual for 2020.
