Tropical Storm Sally formed near Florida on Saturday and is expected to grow stronger as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical Storm Sally
(Photo : National Hurricane Center)
Tropical Storm Sally

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Tropical Storm Sally could become a Category 1 hurricane late Monday. It is now approaching the Gulf Coast.

Sally is located about 45 miles west of Naples, a Tampa Bay Times report said. It had sustained maximum winds of 40 miles per hour and was moving north-northwest at 8mph. This data is according to the center's 8.p.m. Saturday advisory.

CNN noted that Tropical Storm Sally is now the 18th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.

Records also noted the Sally is the earliest 18th named storm on record. Colorado State University meteorologist, Philip Klotzbach, said it broke the record set by Stan in October 2005.

The National Weather Service estimated two to three inches of rainfall in Pinellas County and 1.5 inches in Hillsborough.

Sally will also raise rain in the bay area for up to 90 percent until Monday. There may be a slight drop in this level, to 80 percent, on Tuesday.

It is expected to move over the southeastern and eastern Gulf of Mexico by Sunday. It will hit the Louisiana-Mississippi border as a hurricane, forecasts revealed.

Warnings Issued in Florida, Other States

A hurricane watch was issued from the Alabama/Florida border to Louisiana's parts, said a report from The Weather Channel.

Florida was also given flood watches through Sunday for areas of its west coast. This includes Tampa, Bradenton, Port Charlotte, and Fort Myers.

In the said areas, about two to four inches of rain is expected through the weekend.

Most of the forecast models on Sally show the hurricane moving toward the northern Gulf coast.

"The cyclone will likely become a hurricane in two to three days," said the NHC. But an "increase in vertical shear" could slow the storm from getting worse over the northern Gulf.

There is also the threat of a life-threatening storm surge along the Gulf Coast starting Monday.

An Active Storm Season

As noted, Sally is already early from the past "S" storms. But that is not the only thing that makes it an early, active season for storms.

Other storms also broke records for being the earliest named to date. This includes Cristobal as the earliest "C" storm in recorded history and Hanna as the earliest "H" storm.

Only three storms did not set records for being the earliest in their respective letter: Arthur, Bertha, and Dolly.

There are only three names left for this year's storm season. The next storm names are Teddy, Vicky, and Wilfred. After that, meteorologists will start naming storms in Greek letters like Alpha, Beta, etc.

The naming with Greek letters had not happened since 2005 when 27 storms were named.

Other systems are also in the Atlantic. The NHC is currently tracking six areas: two tropical storms, two tropical depressions, and two tropical disturbances.

Thursday marked the peak of the hurricane season in the Atlantic.

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