Florida to Louisiana braces for likely tropical storm or Hurricane Helene as weather threatens Gulf of Mexico

Millions of people living along the Gulf Coast are being urged to make sure preparations are in place as the next tropical threat to the U.S. brews in the Caribbean, and there are increasing signs that the ingredients needed for a tropical storm or hurricane to form are coming together.A number of computer forecast models depict a strong tropical storm or hurricane in the eastern Gulf of Mexico by the end of this week, but there still remains a lot of uncertainty in the forecast, with several potential outcomes.The system expected to threaten the Gulf Coast has now been dubbed Invest 97L, which is simply a naming convention that allows the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to run specialized computer models to help forecasters obtain additional information on tropical disturbances being monitored for development. The development odds for Invest 97L have been steadily increasing, and the NHC says there is a high chance of tropical development from the northwestern Caribbean Sea to the southern and eastern Gulf of Mexico over the next seven days.The NHC says a broad area of low pressure is currently producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the northwestern Caribbean Sea and portions of Central America.“Environmental conditions appear favorable for development of this system, and a tropical depression or tropical storm is likely to form during the next few days while moving northward across the northwestern Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico,” the NHC said in its latest tropical weather outlook.The system is expected to dump heavy rain over portions of Central America during the next several days, according to the NHC.The NHC said areas of the northwestern Caribbean, Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and western Cuba should closely monitor the progress of the system.Later this week, the NHC says the system is expected to move northward over the Gulf of Mexico, and communities along the northern and northeastern Gulf Coast should also stay ...