Credit: Photo via NOAA
With the six-month hurricane season starting Thursday, a system of showers and thunderstorms, with a low chance of forming into a named storm, was getting ready to cross Florida.

The National Hurricane Center on Wednesday was watching the system as it meandered in the Gulf of Mexico.

The system appeared to have “only marginally favorable” conditions for additional development, according to the center.

But the system is forecast to cross the state with heavy rains and gusty winds in areas this weekend before emerging in the Atlantic Ocean early next week.

The system had a 10 percent chance of forming into a larger system by Friday and a 20 percent chance of growing over the next week, according to the hurricane center. Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast 12 to 17 named storms, with winds of 39 mph or higher, during the hurricane season.

That is considered “near normal.” The projected total includes five to nine storms topping 74 mph and being designated as hurricanes.

One to four of the hurricanes are predicted to be in Category 3 or higher, with sustained winds of at least 111 mph. The first named storm of 2023 will be Arlene.

This article appears in Jun 1-7, 2023.