The Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Invest 97L has millions on alert along Gulf Coast

08:09

Gulf Coast bracing for potential impacts from likely-Tropical Storm or Hurricane Helene

An area of showers and thunderstorms in the Caribbean Sea has been dubbed Invest 97L, and now millions of people living along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida are making preparations for a potential impact from likely Tropical Storm or Hurricane Helene later this week.

Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It’s Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. Start your day with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.

Invest 97L has millions from Florida to Louisiana on alert

Millions of people living on the Gulf Coast from Florida to Louisiana are being urged to make sure preparations are in place as Invest 97L continues to become better organized and will likely become Tropical Storm or Hurricane Helene in the coming days as the system enters the Gulf of Mexico.

"The system is forecast to move generally northward across the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and interests along the northern and northeastern Gulf Coast should also closely monitor the progress of this system," the NHC said.

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Another area of disturbed weather being tracked in eastern Atlantic

As concern grows in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean for a potentially future tropical system later this week, an additional area of possible tropical development is under the watchful eyes of the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The area under watch is a tropical disturbance near the west coast of Africa, according to the NHC.

The NHC says environmental conditions could support gradual development of the system, and a tropical depression could form during the middle to end of this week in the central or eastern tropical Atlantic.

Right now, the NHC is giving the system a high chance of development.

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First major fall storm dumps snow, triggers flood concerns

Right on cue, the first fall storm of the season will bring cooler temperatures and crisper air to the Central U.S. after a dusting of snow in the Colorado Rockies over the weekend.

The beginning of fall also marks the start of the second severe weather season in the U.S. On Monday, a low-pressure system moving east will bring rain from the Plains through the Midwest, potentially causing severe weather, including hail and damaging winds. 

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Watch this: Home collapses on North Carolina's Outer Banks

Yet another home has collapsed into the rising surf along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Friday night, showing the ongoing threat of erosion and rising sea levels to North Carolina's Outer Banks.

This is now the fourth house collapse along this beach in the past year and the ninth in the past four years, according to the National Park Service. No injuries have been reported.

01:44

Watch: Another home collapses on North Carolina's Outer Banks

A third home has collapsed along Cape Hatteras National Seashore, highlighting the ongoing threat of erosion and rising sea levels to North Carolina's Outer Banks. The National Park Service is urging visitors to avoid the beach and stay out of the water near the north end of Rodanthe and potentially for miles to the south following an early Friday morning collapse of an unoccupied home.

Before you go

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