As of 3pm this afternoon, the 11th hurricane and 27th named storm of the season developed in the Caribbean. Zeta, a Category 1 hurricane, is poised to move over the northern Yucatan Peninsula later his evening/tonight, move over the southern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, then approach the northern Gulf Coast in the watch area on Wednesday.
Speaking of watches-- a tropical storm watch is in effect for two areas:
***Mississippi/Alabama border to Okaloosa/Walton County Line Florida
***West of Morgan City to Intracoastal City Louisiana
A hurricane watch is in effect for the following areas:
***Morgan City Louisiana to the Mississippi/Alabama border
***Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans
After landfall, the storm will begin moving to the northeast....which will bring rain chances our way by midweek. We'll begin to see showers moving our way overnight Wednesday--and thanks to a cold front's timing-- we'll see showers lingering through Friday. Cooler air will begin moving in behind the front, so the showers on Friday will be a "cold rain".
There is a little uncertainty regarding how much rain we will see in our area from the combination of these two systems. Guidance suggests we will see significant rain totals across the area. Looks like most areas will pick up about two inches of rain, but there could be isolated pockets that total a little more if we see training.
#staytuned
