Invest 93L was moving inland over southeastern Louisiana, according to the 2 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
Little development is expected while the center remains near the coast this afternoon and tonight, and the systemis expected to weaken as it moves farther inland on Friday.
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Torrential downpours that could trigger dangerous flooding is the main threat for the north-central Gulf Coast as Invest 93L targets Louisiana, according to AccuWeather, which is calling the system of low pressure a “tropical rainstorm.”
The next named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season will be Dexter.
Historically, the fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season arrives Aug. 15. The last two named storms of the season — Barry and Chantal — developed earlier than normal.
Here’s the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center as of 2 p.m. July 17:
Invest 93L moving inland over southeastern Louisiana. See path, impacts
Satellite, surface, and radar data indicate that the broad low pressure area is moving inland over southeastern Louisiana, and that the associated shower and thunderstorm activity remains disorganized and located mainly to the west and southwest of the center.
Little development is expected while the center remains near the coast this afternoon and tonight, and the systemis expected to weaken as it moves farther inland on Friday.Regardless of development, heavy rainfall could produce localized flash flooding over portions of the north-central Gulf Coast through Friday.
Spaghetti models for Invest 93L
Special note about spaghetti models: Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.
Where will Invest 93L go next? Tornadoes, up to 16 inches of rain possible
“Regardless of development, heavy rainfall could produce localized flash flooding over portions of the north-central Gulf Coast through Friday,” the National Hurricane Center said.
“Weak steering breezes will guide the rainstorm westward over southern Louisiana on Thursday (July 17), according to AccuWeather. “At that point, steering breezes may drop off, which could allow the rainstorm to stall and produce downpours over the same area.
“It is also possible that more of a northward or westward drift may continue. The former would allow some heavy rain to spread into more of the Mississippi Delta and lower valley region. The latter could allow downpours to spread westward and possibly reach close to Houston.
“It is possible that a couple of tornadoes and waterspouts develop near the central Gulf coast as the storm moves inland on Thursday,” said AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva.
“A sizable zone where 4-8 inches of rain is forecast to fall extends across much of the southern half of Louisiana and part of southern Mississippi. Within this zone, pockets where 8-12 inches of rain can fall are anticipated with an AccuWeather Local StormMax rainfall of 16 inches.”
What is an invest?
Short for investigation, the National Hurricane Center uses the term invest for areas of low pressure it is monitoring for potential development into a tropical depression or storm.
Invests are not tropical depressions or tropical storms. They’re usually clusters of showers and thunderstorms, and just because they’ve been designated as an invest does not guarantee they’ll strengthen into a tropical storm or hurricane.
Invests run from 90 to 99, followed by a letter: L for the Atlantic basin and E for those in the eastern Pacific. After 99, it starts over again and the next invest would be 90.
Once something has been designated as an invest, specialized data sets and computer models can begin, including scheduling Hurricane Hunter aircraft missions and running spaghetti models.
Florida weather radar for July 17, 2025
National Weather Service Florida forecast for July 17. Impacts from Invest 93L
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What else is happening in the tropics?
The National Hurricane Center is tracking three tropical waves.
AccuWeather said there’s also a potential for tropical development off the central coast of the U.S. July 22-25.
2025 hurricane season so far
An average Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.
Here’s when this year’s named storms have developed, compared to historical averages:
Weather watches and warnings issued in Florida
Hurricane names for 2025 season
Here are the names for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, along with how to pronounce them:
When is the Atlantic hurricane season?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
Ninety-seven percent of tropical cyclone activity occurs during this time period, NOAA said.
The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories.
When is the peak of hurricane season?
National Hurricane Center map: See what forecasters watching now
Systems currently being monitored by the National Hurricane Center include:
Why does NHC say ‘tropical cyclone’ on its maps instead of hurricane or tropical storm?
Tropical cyclone is the generic term used by the National Weather Service, NOAA and the National Hurricane Center for any tropical system, even if it’s in the tropical Atlantic basin.
To be more precise, a tropical cyclone is a “rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation,” NOAA sadi.
Once maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph, what it is called is determined by where it originated:
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(This story has been updated to include new information.)
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: National Hurricane Center tracking Invest 93L, 3 tropical waves. What’s next for Florida?
Reporting by Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
