Residents along the Gulf Coast are being advised to review their hurricane plans and prepare for potentially stormy conditions later this week as forecasters monitor a system developing in the southwestern Gulf. 

The U.S. National Weather Service in Mobile said Tuesday that the area of low pressure has a 90% chance of developing into a tropical depression as it moves through the Gulf. However, forecasters say it is still too early to determine exactly where the system will go or how strong it could become. 

Kevin Gilmore, a forecaster with the NWS in Mobile, said the next 24 to 48 hours will be important in determining the system’s track and potential impacts. 

“Everyone along the northern Gulf Coast needs to pay attention, pay attention to the forecasts, stay weather aware and check official sources,” Gilmore said. 

Gilmore said impacts could begin sometime between Friday and Saturday, although exact timing is not yet known. Regardless of the strength of the system, high surf, beach erosion and heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding are among concerns along the coast. 

“If the system develops quickly and moves fast, that could be a stronger system that could bring more significant impacts,” Gilmore said. 

For now, forecasters are asking residents to make sure they are prepared.

People should check their emergency supplies, replace old batteries and have more than one way to receive weather alerts. They should also know what they would do if local officials call for an evacuation. Residents are encouraged to keep checking updates from the National Hurricane Center and their local National Weather Service office as the system develops.

“The good idea is to have a plan,” Gilmore said. “Make sure you check on relatives, friends, anyone who has interest or is living on the northern Gulf Coast.”

Gabriella Chavez is a Report for America corps member who writes about growth and development in Baldwin County and our natural spaces for Gulf Coast Media. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today.