FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ The first storm of hurricane season appears likely to form this weekend, veer around South Florida and bring the region heavy rain and gusts up to 40 mph.
A flash flood warning was issued Friday night for parts of coastal and central Broward County, with the arrival of heavy rain from the cluster of storms. The warning, which will last until 12:15 a.m., covers the area around Pompano Beach, Plantation and Sunrise.
The storm, which will be named Arthur if it reaches sufficient strength, is expected to form around the Bahamas from a large patch of stormy weather moving through the Florida Straits. An 8 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center said the broad low-pressure area of clouds remained disorganized but was expected to acquire more structure in the coming day or so.
Although Florida is likely to avoid a direct hit, the broad cluster of storm clouds is expected to give the region a day or two of rough weather. Strong gusts, scattered power outages, flooding, powerful rip currents and high waves are expected Friday, the National Weather Service said.
A high surf warning was issued for Broward and Palm Beach counties, indicating the possibility of breaking waves of 6 or 7 feet. A gale warning was issued for the ocean off South Florida, indicating the potential for sustained winds of at least 39 mph.
An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter airplane is scheduled to fly into the storm Saturday if necessary.
The cloudy, stormy weather is heading northeast through the Florida Straits toward the Bahamas, where it is expected to organize and strengthen into the first named storm of the season.
"Expect wet and windy conditions through Friday, with hazardous marine conditions and the potential for heavy rain and localized flooding," the National Weather Service in Miami said, in a Thursday evening update.
Rain possibilities for South Florida range from heavy, with 4 to 6 inches of accumulation, to minimal. Blustery weather could prevail through Saturday.
The storm could become a depression, a subtropical storm or a tropical storm, depending on its structure and wind speed.
A subtropical storm differs from a tropical one. It lacks the tight, well-defined center of a tropical system and tends to be bigger and looser, with its strongest winds located some distance from the center. They also tend to be weaker than tropical systems.
A subtropical depression has wind speeds of up to 38 mph, while a subtropical storm has winds speeds of at least 39 mph.
Hurricane season runs June 1 through Nov. 30, although it's not uncommon for a storm or two to appear in the weeks before the official start date. Most forecasters predict a particularly active season, due to worldwide climate conditions and unusually warm water in the Atlantic.
