CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There is a high likelihood Invest 92L forms into a tropical depression in the Northern Gulf of Mexico in the next few days. Do you know what a tropical depression is?
A tropical depression is an area of thunderstorms circulating counter-clockwise (cyclonic spin) around a broad area of low pressure. These form over tropical or sub-tropical waters that are over usually 80°+ and have a 'warm core' center.
Tropical depressions can bring large amounts of flooding rain, especially if they are slow moving, to areas of land they interact with.
Winds associated with tropical depressions are less than 39 mph and do not carry a name. Once winds become stronger than 39 mph, a tropical storm has formed and it gets a name.
It's possible that the tropical depression stage is jumped. In a scenario where a hurricane hunter recon aircraft investigates an invest and finds winds over 39 mph and a closed area of low pressure, the system goes from an invest to a tropical storm.
What is a Tropical Depression?
This is the stage in a tropical system's development that precedes a tropical storm.
