DeSantis Declares Emergency in 'Vast Majority' of Florida Counties

Ahead of developing storm system forecasters are warning about
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 1, 2024 4:21 PM CDT
Updated Aug 2, 2024 1:00 AM CDT
'Be Ready,' Warn Forecasters as Storm Approaches Gulf
File photo.   (Getty / Emily_M_Wilson)
UPDATE Aug 2, 2024 1:00 AM CDT

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for "the vast majority" of the state's counties ahead of a storm system that has a 70% chance of developing into a tropical depression over the next week, per the National Hurricane Center. "Based on meteorological reports, there is significant threat of heavy rainfall over most of the State of Florida, with the possibility of at least 12 inches of rainfall over the next seven days," reads a statement cited by USA Today. "The water tables in the affected areas are already nearing peak capacity and incoming heavy rainfall will cause significant river flooding that may last for several weeks."

Aug 1, 2024 4:21 PM CDT

It's not even a named storm at the moment, but forecasters are warning residents of Florida and Louisiana to be aware of a developing ocean system. As of Thursday, the system is called merely Invest 97L—invest referring to a weather pattern that the National Hurricane Center is investigating, reports WESH. "A tropical depression could form this weekend or early next week over the eastern Gulf of Mexico or far southwestern Atlantic Ocean, including in the vicinity of Florida," said the NHC in a Thursday afternoon advisory, per USA Today.

The storm is currently dumping rain on locales including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, but it's expected to gain power—perhaps enough to develop into Tropical Storm Debby—as it passes into the Gulf of Mexico. "The latest models show it going into the eastern Gulf and then exploding there," says AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok. "Residents from Louisiana to Florida's West Coast have to be ready in case it rapidly intensifies." (More Florida stories.)

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