EDITOR's NOTE: Recent satellite wind data indicate that the depression has strengthened into Tropical Storm Milton. The maximum sustained winds are estimated to be 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Milton is forecast to strengthen and bring risk of life-threatening impacts to portions of Florida next week.
Tropical Depression Fourteen formed in the western Gulf of Mexico on Saturday morning according to experts at the National Hurricane Center.
This tropical development comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene caused devastating damage over parts of the Southeast and Mid Atlantic.
Late Saturday, Governor Ron DeSantis issued the following Executive Order declaring a state of emergency in 35 Florida counties ahead of the storm, including Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, and Volusia counties.
Also, FEMA encouraged Floridians to prepare for a possible hurricane.
"FEMA is monitoring the potential for tropical storm conditions which may affect areas in Florida late this weekend into the middle of next week. This storm may bring storm surge and heavy rainfall to areas recovering from hurricanes Helene and Debby and affect areas far from the coast," a release issued by the agency said.
FEMA said it was prepared to respond and stood ready to support the state with any request for resources. Hundreds of FEMA staff are on the ground in Florida supporting Helene recovery and coordinating with the state to prepare people for the next storm.
According to meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center (NHC), an area of thunderstorms over the western Gulf of Mexico was being monitored since the end of September, when Helene was making landfall over Florida’s Big Bend.
As of late Saturday morning, these thunderstorm cells had organized enough to be defined as a tropical depression.
Named Tropical Depression Fourteen at 11 AM Saturday, officials said that winds were up to 35 mph and storm motion was slow, at about 3 mph toward the northeast.
The system is expected to linger over the western Gulf of Mexico through the weekend, before it begins to accelerate eastward by the early workweek. By the early to middle part of the upcoming week, forecasters at the NHC anticipate that Fourteen will strengthen into potentially a category two hurricane. It’s name, should strengthening occur, will be Milton.
Regardless of amount of strengthening that Fourteen undergoes, heavy rain is expected over the southern half of the Florida peninsula this week. The preliminary rainfall forecast through Saturday October 12 is between four and 8 inches for locations along and south of I-4 and for the immediate Atlantic Coast.
The forecast for exact totals will likely change over the next few days, but the overall theme will remain consistent: Heavy rainfall for parts of the peninsula will pose a mounting threat for flash flooding next week.
Interests over the Florida peninsula are urged to monitor the forecast closely and to check their family’s hurricane plan.
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