Tropical Depression 4: What You Need To Know
The National Hurricane Center has given an update on the latest development of the tropical disturbance (Tropical Cyclone 4 and soon to be Tropical Storm Debby) that is closely being monitored. At this moment, there’s no reason to panic, the disturbance is not yet a “depression” or a “storm” but WILL bring heavy rain and possible flooding to the Tampa Bay area this weekend.
The 5am update showed that the storms track has moved more West. Which is good and bad news. The good news is that it doesn’t change the forecast for the Tampa Bay area, we should still expect a lot of heavy rain and possible storm surge. The bad news is the storm will have more time in the water and possibly become stronger. While the NHC keeps this just below hurricane status at landfall, ABC Action News meteorologist Denis Phillips expects it to become a hurricane before making landfall in the Big Bend region. Tropical Depression 4 is expected to enter Gulf of Mexico Saturday afternoon or evening
What You Need To Know About Tropical Depression 4
Although this has not been named an official storm, some Florida counties have been put under a tropical storm advisory. A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours, while a watch means conditions are possible within 48 hours. A storm surge watch has also been issued for the Tampa Bay area.
The counties under a Tropical Storm warning are: Citrus County, Hillsborough County, Manatee County, Pasco County, Pinellas County, Sarasota County. The counties under a Tropical Storm watch are DeSoto County, Hardee County, Polk County
At 5 a.m., Tropical Depression 4 was located about 195 miles south-southeast of Key West, Florida, and was moving west-northwest at 16 miles per hour. The system had maximum sustained winds of 30 miles per hour with higher gusts.
If you need sandbags, click here for current locations.
Always remember Denis Phillips’ rule #7: Don’t freak out. Most Floridians know not to panic until Publix runs out of water, Jim Cantore shows up, or they start closing Waffle House locations. But if this is your first hurricane season, then just know to expect some heavy storms.
5 Things You Should Have Before Hurricane Season Starts
Empty Sand Bags
Remember when everyone was scrambling all over Pinellas and Hillsborough counties looking for sand bags? Most pick-up locations were only allowing people to pick up 2-3 bags per person, which is probably not enough to surround your house/belongings.
BBGI
If you order these empty sandbags on Amazon now, you should have them by next week. It will make your life a lot easier to just drive to your nearest beach or causeway and fill the bags up that way.
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Battery Powered Fan
We all know how crappy it is to lose power in the middle of a hurricane. In some cases, you may not know when it will be restored. Amazon has this really cool battery powered camping lantern with a fan for only $20. Reviews say that 1 set of D batteries lasted them over 10 hours.
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Footwear
If you live in Florida and don’t have a decent pair of rain boots, now is your time to get a pair. If the thought of gross storm water touching your skin freaks you out, you should grab a pair of these knee high waterproof boots.
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Honorary Mention: Board Games/Deck of Cards/Coloring Books
This one may seem obvious, which is why we made it an honorary mention in case it does slip your mind. Remember how bored you were when you lost power from Ian? Some board games, deck of cards, or coloring books should help you pass the time, without killing your phone battery.
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