Tropical Storm Debby Could Hit Gulf of Mexico; Landfall in Tampa Bay, Florida Predicted

By Daniel Blake, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, June 23, 2012

The Gulf of Mexico is bracing itself as Tropical Storm Debby looks set to form, with it bringing heavy rains, strong winds and the threat of flooding across the region.

For days now it has looked as if the storm would strengthen and develop, and if it continues to get stronger the potential Tropical Storm Debby will form to become the Atlantic season's 4th named storm.

As of Saturday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center has given the storm system a 90 percent chance of forming into a tropical cyclone over the next 48 hours, causing residents throughout the Gulf of Mexico to make preparations.

Currently the storm is moving northwards, and warnings are expected to be announced as early as Saturday evening. It has been reported that tropical storm force winds have already been recorded in certain parts of the eastern half of the Gulf of Mexico, which does not bode well for residents in the ongoing path.

However, the path of the storm is proving hard to predict, and some models are predicting that the system will continue on its northward path and make landfall on Wednesday morning in Tampa Bay in Florida. But other models have projected that the system will move extremely slowly and remain almost stationary for a number of days yet and will only begin a northward push towards the end of next week and target the Texas coast.