Tropical Depression in Gulf becomes Tropical Storm Olga, will soak Louisiana and Southeast

The Weather Authority team is tracking an area of low pressure in the Gulf that Friday evening was upgraded from Tropical Depression #17 to Tropical Storm Olga.

Hurricane Hunters are scheduled to investigate the system today.

The system, however, is going to be short-lived. It’ll merge with a cold front and become post-tropical tonight. Southwest Florida will not be impacted. It’ll be soaking the Northern Gulf coast as a rainmaker, especially Louisiana, with 2 – 5″ in spots.

The Weather Authority team is also monitoring a non-tropical area of low pressure a few hundred miles southwest of the Azores that has really blown up this morning. Right now, satellite data has indicated this area of disturbed weather is producing tropical-storm-force wind near the center and is being better organized.

A tropical or subtropical cyclone could form later today before moving east-northeast toward the Azores and even Spain later on down the road. The National Hurricane Center gives it a 50% chance of development over the next 2-5 days.

In addition, Tropical Storm Pablo has formed in the Atlantic, which will also not impact SWFL.