Depression could become another major hurricane
MIAMI – A tropical depression formed Thursday in the Caribbean and could become a major hurricane by the time it reaches the northern U.S. Gulf Coast over the next several days, forecasters said.
Both the Cuban and Cayman governments have issued tropical storm warnings following the formation of Tropical Depression Nine, according to information on the website of the U.S. National Weather Service.
Late Thursday morning, the depression had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was located about 115 miles southwest of Negril, Jamaica, and about 210 miles southeast of Grand Cayman.
The depression is traveling northwest at about 13 mph and is expected to become a tropical storm by Thursday night when it passes over the Cayman Islands. It could be a hurricane when it approaches western Cuba and the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Friday, and a major hurricane by the time it reaches the northern U.S. Gulf Coast on Sunday, the weather service said.
The depression is forecast to deliver between 6 to 12 inches of rain over parts of Jamaica, Cuba and the Cayman islands. Forecasters warned of possible flash floods and mudslides and a storm surge of as much as 2 to 4 feet above normal, along with “large and destructive waves.”