Emerging Tropical Disturbance May Hit Florida

There is a broad area of low pressure sitting over the Atlantic Ocean, just north of the island of Hispaniola (comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic), that is causing some concern among meteorologists.  Due to wind shearing from its north side, it does not yet have the structure or circulation to be deemed as a tropical depression.  So it is now "simply" referred to as Invest 99-L.  At its center of low pressure, there are few if any clouds, but further south there are heavy rains soaking southern Hispaniola.  The various computer models find this system moving in a west-northwesterly direction toward the Bahamas, developing eventually into a tropical depression, tropical storm...or even possibly a hurricane.  Should it reach tropical storm status, it will be named Hermine.  Also, the various models have this disturbance heading toward south Florida...and then they tend to diverge, ranging from it continuing on into the Gulf of Mexico to traveling upstate in peninsular Florida's interior.  For us living here in Gainesville, that last scenario may end up being the best, for this way the storm may have weakened considerably by the time it reaches us.  On the other hand, should it go into the Gulf and further strengthen, there could arise the possibility of it shifting its direction and reentering Florida...and should that happen around Cedar Key, we could be in for some trouble here. But perhaps I'm going down the road a little too far with my speculation...

After all, this disturbance carries its significance only in computer models and predictions: it isn't much of anything right now.  But in a couple of days, we may be seeing a vastly different...and possibly more threatening...situation...