The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is monitoring an area of disturbed weather several hundred miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands, quickly forming to become the next storm, named Hurricane Nadine by meteorologists.
Meteorologists are still tracking Nadine's path, which could potentially hit the Sunshine State within the next 10 days or veer towards Mexico and Central America. As of Tuesday, Nadine has a 60 percent chance of strengthening into a tropical depression in the next week.
This news follows closely on the heels of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which recently wreaked havoc on the southeast coast with heavy flooding and tornadoes from Florida to North Carolina.
The storm, initially classified as a disturbance and known as "Invest 94L," was upgraded to a tropical depression by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) after its surface winds reached 38 miles per hour.
As it moves toward warmer waters, the depression could bring destructive rain and thunderstorms, leading to severe flooding. Wind speeds reaching 74 miles per hour could escalate it into a hurricane.
Mountainous terrain may hinder the storm's growth as it crosses over the Virgin Islands. AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva told DailyMail.com that "there is a low chance of direct impact to the US because there's wind shear that might protect us."
Wind shear involves powerful upper-level winds that can strip away heat and moisture from a hurricane's eye, distorting its shape and effectively tearing it apart.
If the storm were to intensify, DaSilva suggested it would likely not happen until October 17 or 18, with its path remaining uncertain until then.
"I don't think it would hit us at all," DaSilva said, adding that "it will either just be pushed out to sea or nothing left by the time it reaches the US."
However, the storm is still quite distant, and if it does affect the States, it wouldn't be for another 10 days, "so things can still change," DaSilva noted.
The storm's strength hinges on how long it stays over water, which could allow it to develop into a hurricane.
"One possibility would take the system westward into Central America and southern Mexico, while the other regrettably heads toward Florida," DaSilva stated in an AccuWeather report.
If the tropical depression moves toward Central America, it won't have as much time to strengthen. However, if its path shifts northward toward the Gulf of Mexico, it could find the conditions necessary for growth.
"Not only are the waters very warm in this area—well into the 80s Fahrenheit at the surface—but the ocean heat content in the western Caribbean is at record high levels for any time of the year," DaSilva said in the report.
This year has already seen an above-average number of hurricanes for mid-October, with four major ones, including Beryl, Helene, Kirk, and Milton, hitting the US.
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