The disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico today organized enough to be called Tropical Depression 2, but winds are not yet strong enough for it to be a named storm. If you live in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama or SW Georgia, you might have seen some high clouds from the storm’s circulation today. If winds increase, it could become TS Arlene, which is the second tropical storm of 2023 because of the January storm that was identified as a subtropical storm a couple of months after it occurred. TD2 is expected to drift south towards Cuba and is no threat to land except for some showers on the Florida peninsula. Just in time for the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season! There is some chance that the circulation will move back to the northeast in a few days, bringing more rain to southern Florida, so folks down there should keep an eye on it and prepare to be wet.
