Hurricane Nate could threaten Florida’s Gulf Coast by the weekend

Tropical depression, that formed Wednesday is forecast to become a hurricane as it heads toward the northern Gulf Coast with the cone’s center aiming at the Florida Panhandle.If it hits Florida like <1>Hurricane Nate, it is expected to do this weekend, probably on Sunday.Earlier on Wednesday, the eastern edge of the cone was just north of the Tampa Bay area, but in the afternoon the cone moved westward, putting the potential area of ​​American traffic between the Big Bend of Florida and the coastal Mississippi and Louisiana.The northern Gulf Coast could see "the direct impacts of wind, storm and heavy rainfall," said Dennis Feltgen, spokesperson for the Miami-based National Hurricane Center. "However, it is too early to specify the timing or magnitude of these impacts."The storm is not expected to head towards southeast Florida or further south on the Gulf Coast, such as Naples, said Feltgen
Its wind speed was around 35 mph for most of the day Wednesday. It is expected to become a tropical storm, meaning that it would have a maximum sustained wind speed of at least 39 mph at the end of Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.It was expected that the storm would move to eastern Nicaragua and Honduras on Thursday before returning to the Caribbean Sea again by Friday.It would cross the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico before arriving in the Gulf of Mexico at the beginning of Saturday.Forecasters say conditions in the Gulf are favorable to the strengthening of tropical storms and hurricanes, with warm temperatures and small opposing winds - cited by forecasters as wind shear.The center of the cone, from Wednesday 8 pp. Of the National Hurricane Center, aimed at the vicinity of Panama City Beach in Florida Panhandle.Meanwhile, the hurricane center was also releasing updates on rain and wind conditions that hit southern Florida on Wednesday and earlier in the week.Tropical Depression 16 is expected to become Tropical Storm Nate. (National Hurricane Center)