Tropical System Could Hit Florida with Heavy Rain and Disrupt Election Week [Update]

A tropical system is raging towards the Southeast United States, which could bring heavy rain to Florida and disruption the election week.

This is according to latest weather forecasts, which projected that one of the two tropical disturbances over the Atlantic Ocean may reach Central Florida by Election Day.

Polls could be delayed or still continue depending on the impact of the looming system.

Also called by forecasters as a tropical moisture, the tropical rainstorm is expected to cause flash flooding due to torrential rain over the Southeast US and its surrounding regions.

Damaging winds can also down power lines and lead to power outages, affecting both residential and commercial establishments.

Road traffic movement and public transport are also at risk of being disrupted by the approaching weather event.

The renewed threat to Florida comes more than a month after Hurricane Ian made landfall to the state, killing more than 100 people, flooding streets, causing power outages, and destroying homes, as well as buildings, roads, and other infrastructure.

Ian also left a trail of destruction in other states in the Southeast, which also prompted unprecedented evacuation orders and other measures.

The recent developments of the storms show an active 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, even if its end draws near.

Still, meteorologists are still expecting the country can experience last-minute weather events connected to the 2022 season.

Prior to the 2022 season, US weather authorities issued a long-range forecast of an above-average hurricane season this year.

Election Week Weather

CNN Meteorologist Haley Brink reported on Sunday, November 6, the system that may target Florida is currently hovering over the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean, located just north of Puerto Rico, where a flood watch is in effect until Monday afternoon, November 7.

The weather system has already brought 5 inches of rainfall to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands since Saturday, November 5.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) gave the system a high chance of developing into either a subtropical or tropical depression in the next 48 hours or early this week, as cited by CNN.

In addition, some forecast models reported hinted that the system could become a tropical storm before it approaches the Sunshine State and the Bahamas this week.

Atlantic Ocean Hurricanes

The weather disturbances in the region follows the development and dissipation of former hurricanes Lisa and Martin last week; wherein the first recorded instances of two storms simultaneously occurring, with the last two instances occurred Hurricanes Michelle and Noel in 2000 and another pair in 1932, according to Phil Klotzbatch, a meteorologist at Colorado State University, as cited by The Guardian.

The strength of many tropical storms was possibly underestimated before the use of satellites in 1966, Klotzbatch.

With this, even if the remainder of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season ends in November 30, the occurrence of further hurricanes, as well as unnamed storms, are likely to occur.