The center of the hurricane tracks the system that could hit Florida, while TD13 joins Hurricane Kirk in the Atlantic

ORLANDO, Fla. – As Hurricane Kirk gained strength and formed Tropical Depression 13 on Wednesday, but posed no threat of landfall in the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center tracked the system as it developed in the Gulf of Mexico and toward Florida could turn.

According to the NHC’s tropical forecast as of 8 a.m., the system, which could bring at least heavy rains for Florida next week, was for now a broad low-pressure area with a large area of ​​disorganized showers and thunderstorms extending from the southwestern Caribbean Sea to the southern Gulf of Mexico.

“Environmental conditions could support gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form over the weekend as the broader disturbance fully encroaches on the Gulf of Mexico,” forecasters said. “Stakeholders along the U.S. Gulf Coast should continue to monitor the progress of this system.”

The NHC gives it a 40 percent chance of development in the next seven days.

The National Weather Service in Melbourne expects some impacts in Florida early next week.

“There continues to be a lot of inconsistency in the global models and ensemble guidance, particularly early next week,” NWS meteorologist Kole Fehling said in his forecast for east-central Florida at 4 a.m. EDT. “However, global models tend to show better agreement with the latest guidelines.”

He expects a 50-70% chance of heavy rain from Sunday into early next week.

Meanwhile, in the Atlantic, a low pressure area developed into Tropical Depression 13, a few hundred miles south-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands, with more organized showers and thunderstorms.

At 11 a.m., the center of TD 13 was 430 miles southwest of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands and moving west at a speed of 7 mph with a maximum sustained wind of 35 mph.

“A general westward movement is expected over the next day or so, followed by a more west-northwestward turn by the weekend,” forecasters said. “Gradual strengthening is forecast and the depression could become a tropical storm by this evening.”

If it does, it will become Tropical Storm Leslie.

Hurricane Kirk is already raging in the Atlantic.

At the time of the 5 a.m. NHC report, Kirk was about 1,200 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands and 1,280 miles east of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean and moving northwest at a speed of 14 mph with sustained winds of 80 mph hour, making it a Category 1 hurricane.

Hurricane-force winds extend a distance of 30 miles and tropical-force winds extend a distance of 195 miles from its center.

“Further strengthening is forecast over the next few days and Kirk is expected to become a major hurricane by Thursday,” forecasters said.

If this is the case, it would be the third major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, after Beryl and Helene.

The season lasts from June 1st to November 11th. 30, has produced 12 official storms so far, including six hurricanes, four tropical storms and one tropical depression, as well as one potential tropical cyclone that did not form before landfall.

After Leslie, Milton is the next name on the list.