Tropical disturbance near Gulf could develop into depression

NEW ORLEANS – Hurricane forecasters say a tropical disturbance nearing the Gulf of Mexico has a 40 per cent chance of developing into at least a tropical depression this week.

National Hurricane Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen says if the system eventually strengthens into a tropical storm, it would be the first of the 2018 season and would be named “Alberto.”

The centre’s current five-day outlook has the disturbance reaching the northern Gulf Coast this weekend somewhere between southeast Louisiana and Florida. That could mean a wet Memorial Day weekend in the New Orleans area and at Gulf Coast beaches in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Feltgen is urging residents to monitor the weather “because there will be flash flooding associated with this.”

The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1.