Denis Phillips’ Take On The “Orange Blob’s” Florida Impact

We're still in the early stages of recovering from Helene along the coast here in Tampa Bay. So when Denis Phillips talked with us last week about ANOTHER system that was on the way just as Helene passed to our north, it wasn't welcome news. But there's better news now. Denis says the National Hurricane Center still has the chances for development for this newest "orange blob" at 40%. But there's better news. This doesn't look like it's going to turn into a hurricane. It might not even reach tropical storm status. Denis says he thinks it will head towards Florida... but it should be "mostly a rain event." We've had enough water around here. But we know it could be much worse. Tanner Flynn (R) and others feel the winds from Hurricane Helene as it passes offshore on September 26, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Helene is forecast to become a major hurricane, bringing the potential for deadly storm surges, flooding rain, and destructive hurricane-force winds along parts of the Florida West Coast. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) The Orange Blob... How Bad and When? Some of the models do forecast this to become a tropical storm... but it'd probably be a pretty weak one, says Denis. As for the timing of when this would impact us in Florida? The wet weather from the orange blob (I love that, sounds much less problematic than tropical storm... or that dreaded H word) would probably arrive between Sunday and Tuesday. Now that a few days have passed since Helene, Denis says he has more confidence in this track and forecast of this next system in the gulf. But stay tuned because this is Florida and these systems can change course and intensity. And yeah yeah, as Denis always says... remember Rule #7. Don't freak out. Sounds like there's little reason to do that this time anyway. As for the rest of this week in the Tampa area, the weather remains muggy and we have those chances of a passing downpour. The good news is next week we might see a bit of a cool off. Temperatures starting Sunday shouldn't go much higher than 80.