Tropical depression forms near Gulf of Mexico

Tropical Depression 14 formed in the Caribbean on Thursday morning, and a predictive cone showing the probable center of the storm has Houston in sight.

The National Hurricane Center predicts the system will likely become a tropical storm on Friday. Meteorologists believe the storm could reach the coast of Southeast Texas on Tuesday night.

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There is still uncertainty about the path of the storm, but now is the time for Houstonians to prepare for any possible storm, according to the National Water Service.

A second disturbance in the Atlantic Ocean last night formed Tropical Depression 13. It is expected to intensify in a tropical storm early Friday morning.

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Meteorologists say the center of the storm could pass north of Cuba in the Gulf of Mexico, but its exact trace is not yet certain. The NHS has already issued tropical storm watches for the northern Windward Islands.

At least one model that predicts the paths of the two storms will set them both on Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Space City Weather.

The 12z GFS model has two tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico new week on Tuesday morning. Still big questions with track and intensity for both. Two at a time would be a rare, though not unusual event. pic.twitter.com/3QByBImfOt

– Eric Berger (@SpaceCityWX) August 20, 2020

Experts are also keeping an eye on a third disturbance off the west African coast.

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