Florida Governor Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Invest 97L

In Brief:

Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Florida due to Tropical Wave Invest 97L, expected to bring heavy rainfall and potential flooding.
The Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard have been activated, and tolls on state toll bridges will be suspended.
The storm has a high chance of becoming a named tropical storm or hurricane within the next week, potentially impacting the Florida Gulf Coast.

Update 1: 5:00PM August 1, 2024

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Declared a state of emergency for most counties Thursday afternoon in response to Tropical Wave Invest 97L.

In his executive order, the governor noted that meteorologists expect 12 inches of rain over the next seven days in parts of the state. In a tweet on the social media site X (formerly Twitter), Governor DeSantis noted that the storm may make landfall in Florida as early as this weekend.

Florida is monitoring Invest 97L in the Atlantic, which is expected to strengthen and potentially make landfall as early as this weekend. It will be slow-moving and bring lots of rain that could cause significant flooding.

I encourage all residents to prepare for the storm and…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 1, 2024

The governor has also activated the Florida National Guard and the Florida State Guard (two separate groups)

Governor DeSantis authorized the Department of Transportation to suspend tolls on the toll bridges throughout the state as well. According to Van Fuller, the executive director of the Mid-Bay Bridge Authority, they do not have the power to suspend tolls – typically that order will come from the governor ahead of an evacuation organized by local governments.

According to the National Weather Service in Mobile, the invest has a 30% chance of forming into a named tropical storm or hurricane in the next 48 hours and a 70% chance of doing the same within the next week. The storm is expected by many NOAA computer models to take a path over the island of Cuba and turn north afterward toward the Florida Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Season Starts Now

I don’t love to be the bearer of bad news – but Hurricane season really starts now.

Statistically, at least.

According to data the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation (NOAA) – The Atlantic Ocean sees the most hurricanes and tropical storms between August 15 and October 15. They created a well done histograph that makes it really clear.

Before the middle of August and after the middle of October, the number of named storms tapers off significantly: roughly two-thirds of storms happen in the August-October window.