Tropical Depression Forms, Headed for Miami in the Next 36 Hours

via National Hurricane Center

The Cone of Panic!

​Cue the breathless local TV announcers and the runs on milk, bread, and stout whiskey at Publix: Miami is officially in line to get hit with its first tropical storm of the season.

The National Hurricane Center just issued a tropical storm warning for Florida's East Coast from Golden Beach south through the Keys. The upshot: A big ol' nasty storm is gonna rumble through your neighborhood in the next 36 hours. Panic accordingly!


The unnamed depression, at the moment, is swirling around over the southeastern Bahamas. The storm recently has churned up close to 40 mph sustained winds after dumping loads of rain on the Domincan Republic earlier this week.

There doesn't seem to be much chance that the storm will intensify significantly before it hits Florida. The National Hurricane Center is calling for two to four inches to pour down on Florida, with up to a foot of storm surge possible in parts of the Keys.

In other words: No need to run for the shelter, but you probably shouldn't leave your car parked on South Beach this Friday, unless you want your front seat to double as an aquarium.

Check out the NHC warning, and the Weather Underground's blog post on the storm.