New tropical storm could make landfall in Florida next week, says AccuWeather meteorologists.

Thunderstorms began to gather across much of the Caribbean. “It probably won’t be long before a tropical rainstorm forms and continues to organize into a tropical storm,” said AccuWeather chief meteorologist Bernie Rayno. The system would be named Tropical Storm Sara.

If the system does not make landfall in Central America and remains in the western Caribbean region with warmer waters, it could strengthen into a hurricane.

“Not only does this have a significant chance of becoming a hurricane, but it could become a major hurricane very quickly,” said AccuWeather senior hurricane expert Alex DaSilva. “There are multiple scenarios with this feature in the Caribbean that are related to development speed and early monitoring and that could affect land areas with landfall and direct impacts later.”

Sara could then begin moving northwest and reach the Western Caribbean Sea early next week. As a result, this could bring the storm near the Yucatan Peninsula or west of Cuba, and then by Tuesday, November 19, into the Gulf of Mexico.

It is expected to pick up speed and turn east, meaning “a potentially significant hurricane impact could” hit parts of Cuba, the Florida Keys and the southern part of the Florida Peninsula on Wednesday 20 November, according to AccuWeather.

If the storm makes landfall, it could cause flash flooding and strong wind gusts, which could impact people’s lives, power and property.

Residents of Central America, southeastern Mexico, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas and Florida are advised to monitor Sara’s progress over the next few days.

THE National Hurricane Center in Miami also monitors the system. “Western and northwestern Caribbean Sea interests should monitor the progress of this system. Regardless of development, heavy rain is expected over Jamaica and parts of Haiti over the next few days,” notes the NHC, adding that there is a 90% chance of formation over the next seven days.

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Although hurricane season averages seven storms per year, Sara would be the 12th of the season. Sara’s news reportedly follows rising death toll of both Hurricane Helenewho killed at least 230 peopleand Hurricane Milton, which killed at least 24 people.

Both storms started in the western Caribbean Sea and then headed toward Florida. Helene, a Category 4 storm, also severely affected Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Meanwhile, Milton, a Category 3 storm, hit Savannah, Georgia; Tybee Island, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and the port of Charleston, South Carolina