Hurricane may hit the Gulf states by the weekend

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The National Hurricane Center is closely monitoring a storm system near the Bay of Campeche in the southern Gulf of Mexico that is expected to develop into a tropical depression by Tuesday. The storm, to be named Cristobal, would be the third of the Atlantic hurricane season.

“Satellite data indicates the storm is becoming better organized,” wrote senior hurricane specialist Daniel Brown in Monday’s 4 p.m. hurricane discussion bulletin. “The storm is forecast to turn-southwestward on Tuesday and meander through the Bay of Campheche on Wednesday.”

The initial forecast has the storm moving in a circular pattern over the bay. The warm water there combined with upper-level winds will allow it to strengthen into a tropical storm within the next couple of days.

From there, forecast models differ, with some sending it north toward the U.S. with projected landfall between Florida and Texas some time over the weekend. Other models show the storm heading west over Mexico.

Realistically, it is too early for experts to predict with any real accuracy; however, this storm bears monitoring.