The chances of Storm Nadine becoming a hurricane have only increased as Florida braces itself

Florida could see another hurricane in the coming week as Tropical Storm ‘Nadine’ moves through the Atlantic Ocean.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued an update at 8 a.m. ET on Monday showing the storm had a 50 percent chance of becoming a hurricane, but increased the chance to 60 percent at 2 p.m. ET.

Meteorologists said Nadine’s path was still being monitored and that it could reach the Sunshine State within 10 days or take a different route towards Mexico and Central America.

This comes just days after Hurricanes Helene and Milton rocked the Southeast Coast, bringing severe flooding and tornadoes from Florida to North Carolina.

“The system is forecast to move generally westward toward warmer waters, and environmental conditions could become more favorable for gradual development by mid-to-late this week,” the NHC says. shared in the 2pm ET update.

The tropical depression is currently located several hundred miles west of the Cape Verde Islands, but could gradually develop into a hurricane as it reaches warmer waters near Florida.

NHC previously categorized the storm, formally known as “Invest 94L,” as a disturbance but has since upgraded it to a tropical depression after surface winds reached 60 kilometers per hour and spawned cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean.

As warmer water approaches, a depression brings devastating rain and thunderstorms that cause severe flooding and can develop into a hurricane if winds reach 75 miles per hour.

It’s unclear if the tropical storm will finally develop into a hurricane or when, but meteorologists continue to monitor it as it approaches the coast.

The NCH also said the storm has a 10 percent chance of becoming a hurricane within 48 hours.

AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva told DailyMail.com that the storm will need to be monitored in the coming days, but it is unlikely to reach hurricane status.

If the storm passes over the Virgin Islands, the mountains could disrupt its growth.

He added that “the likelihood of a direct impact on the US is low because there is wind shear that could protect us.”

A wind shear consists of strong upper-level winds that can remove the heat and moisture from the eye of a hurricane and distort its shape, effectively tearing the eye apart.

If the storm were to develop into something larger, DaSilva said it likely won’t happen until October 17-18 and they won’t know what path the storm will take until then.

“I don’t think it would affect us at all,” he said, adding that “it will either just be pushed out to sea or there will be nothing left by the time it reaches the US.”

However, the storm is still far away and if it hits the United States it won’t happen for another 10 days, “so things could still change,” DaSilva said.

The strength of the storm depends on how long it remains above water, which allows it to grow and develop into a hurricane.

“One possibility would take the system westward into Central America and southern Mexico, and the other is unfortunately toward Florida,” DaSilva said in an AccuWeather message. report.

If the tropical depression moves toward Central America, it won’t have as much time to strengthen, but if it shifts north toward the Gulf of Mexico, it could provide the climate it needs to grow.

“Not only are the waters in this area very warm – well into the 80s Fahrenheit deep – the ocean heat content in the western Caribbean is at record highs at any time of year,” DaSilva said in the report .

The approaching storm comes as Florida works to recover from Hurricane Milton, which hit Tampa and tore through the state last week, spawning deadly tornadoes.

At least 17 people have been killed in Florida, and while the state is still assessing the financial toll, damage is estimated at billions.

Milton also came after Hurricane Helene hit the Southeast two weeks earlier, flooding states along the coast.

Helene has cost between $30.5 billion and $47.5 billion in total damage across 16 states, according to CoreLogic, and has claimed the lives of more than 230 people to date, with countless others still listed as missing.

This year, there were already above-average hurricanes in mid-October, with four major hurricanes, including Beryl, Helene, Kirk and Milton, hitting the US.

In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the US would have an above-average hurricane season and predicted that between four and seven hurricanes of Category 3 or higher would strike.

The prediction so far has come true: by mid-October the figures are above the historical average.

The hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.

DailyMail.com has contacted the National Hurricane Center for comment.