Will another storm hit Florida? Possibility of Hurricane Sara is being closely watched

All eyes are on the Caribbean, where a developing tropical depression could potentially turn into the next hurricane to hit Florida, perhaps the last for the 2024 season.

The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday there is a high chance of a tropical depression forming over the next 48 hours, moving westward into the western Caribbean sea and dumping heavy rains on Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

Forecasters are tracking a “broad area of low pressure” they’re calling Invest 99L, which is producing a large area of thunderstorms in the Caribbean and could eventually develop into a tropical storm, then into a full-blown hurricane as it travels westward and potentially northwest. (An Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft is investigating.)

If a hurricane does develop, it would be called Hurricane Sara and would be the 18th storm in the Atlantic this year, bookending one of the deadliest and costliest hurricane seasons that has left over 325 people dead in the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean. Five hurricanes have slammed into the Gulf Coast region, but none as devastating as Helene, which made landfall in Florida and the surrounding Southeast, leaving some 228 dead and causing some $120 billion in damage.

Warm water temperatures in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico have contributed to the hurricanes, which are currently the second-warmest on record, following last year.

While it remains unclear exactly what course the developing system will take, the warm water could strengthen and rapidly intensify its course toward the Gulf of Mexico.

How to track hurricanes and tropical storms

Hurricanes can change paths quickly, which is why tracking the storm is so important. For updated information, advisories, and maps showing projected and traveled paths, check out these resources below:

• National Hurricane Center
• Esri’s Hurricane Aware