Searching for the Tropics: Could Francine Form Next Week?

This is how a possible tropical storm or hurricane could affect Texas.

TEXAS, USA —

We will keep an eye on the Gulf of Mexico this weekend and certainly next week.

There is a tropical wave in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico that has an 80% chance of developing over the next week.

Searching for the Tropics: Could Francine Form Next Week?

Although conditions in the unstable weather area are not optimal for rapid strengthening, conditions are sufficient for Francine to form sometime next week. Will it be a tropical storm? A hurricane? It's too early to say. But we're watching closely.

A tropical depression could form early to mid-next week as the system slowly moves northwest to north across the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. And again, it is too early to predict where it will go from there. A major hurricane is extremely unlikely.

Possible impacts on Texas

It's too early to predict the exact path of the potential “Francine,” but many model participants surprisingly agree that it will get close to the Texas-Louisiana border by the middle of next week.

Regardless of what we ultimately call this tropical disturbance, there is the potential for some decent rainfall across South Texas, Southeast Texas, along the Texas coast, and even parts of East Texas. Right now, it looks like rain chances are slim to none across North Texas. All of this could change in the coming days.