Storm Forming in Gulf of Mexico Forecast to Hit U.S. as Hurricane

A tropical storm forming in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico is threatening to unleash powerful winds and heavy rain as it makes its way toward the US where it will likely hit Wednesday as a hurricane.

The system already has winds up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour, but it lacks the structure to be designated a tropical storm. Once it pulls together into a tighter pattern, forecasters expect it will grow into a hurricane and be named Francine, the next name on the Atlantic seasonal list.

The storm is on pace to rip through the Gulf’s oil and natural gas production area before making landfall in Louisiana or Texas. It comes after the Atlantic hurricane season had gone eerily quiet for several weeks, thanks to dry air and unusually cool water off the coast of Africa.

“While it is too soon to pinpoint the exact location and magnitude of impacts, the potential for life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds are increasing for portions of the Louisiana and Upper Texas coastlines beginning Tuesday night,” Richard Pasch, a senior hurricane specialist at the US National Hurricane Center said.

This will be the second storm to form in the western Gulf and the third to hit the US mainland this year. It’s forecast to peak as Category 1 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale as it rolls through the region’s oil and gas platforms, said Adam Douty, a meteorologist at commercial-forecaster AccuWeather Inc.

There is a chance it will grows stronger as it swirls over the Gulf’s unusually warm waters, which provides fuel to storms.

If the storm does significantly strengthen, it’s likely to happen mid-day Tuesday or Wednesday, said Ryan Truchelut, president of WeatherTiger LLC. As it nears the coastline, however, it could encounter cross winds, or wind shear, that would threaten to weaken it.