Tropical Storm Emily Forms (Credit: NHC)

The tropical depression in the Atlantic has recently been upgraded to a tropical storm named Emily, being the 5th one this hurricane season. Currently, Emily has maximum sustained winds of 40 knots, or 45 mph, and is moving east at 9 mph. She is expected to cross over Tampa Bay, Florida soon, with a tropical storm warning issued for the area. This includes advisories for high winds and heavy rain being issued currently for the central and southern tip of the Florida peninsula. The biggest threat associated with Emily is winds forecasted to be 20-30 mph with gust up to 40 mph, and locally heavy rainfall, with some areas receiving 2 - 4 inches today. This can lead to a possible storm surge along with flash floods. These conditions hold a threat to property damage and personal safety. Also associated with this storm is a chance of an isolated waterspout in the coastal areas of the warned parts of Florida. In simple terms, this means a non-supercell tornado is possible to form over water.  


Tropical Storm Emily is expected to make landfall in western Florida this afternoon, continuing across the state throughout the night, and emerging off the coast by early Tuesday morning. Although there are currently advisories associated with Tropical Storm Emily, the storm is expected to slowly weaken while passing over Florida, and eventually go out to the Atlantic before diminishing completely. 

For more updates on Atlantic storms for this hurricane season, be sure to click here! 

©2017 Meteorologist Claudia Pukropski