Officials across South Florida, which has been saturated by rain throughout September, continue to keep an eye on an unnamed weather system gaining strength in the Caribbean.
A tropical storm watch was issued Saturday for parts of the Florida coastline north of West Palm Beach to an area north of Daytona Beach.
But in south Miami-Dade County, city of Homestead Emergency Manager Jaime Hernandez worries about complacency among residents.
“Too many South Floridians who may have experienced limited impacts from storms that came close in recent years, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017, have come away from these events mistakenly believing they have ‘been through the big one,’ " Hernandez said.
He notes that Homestead is one of only four communities in the continental U.S. to experience the catastrophic impacts of a Category 5 hurricane. "We know all too well the importance of having an emergency plan and remaining informed," Hernandez said.
In the Florida Keys, Monroe County emergency officials reported Saturday they are closely tracking the storm — "Tropical Storm Nine". They said it was north-northwest of the eastern tip of Cuba on Saturday morning.
"It is expected to become a tropical storm later today or tonight as it moves generally north-northwest across the central and northwestern Bahamas throughout the weekend," Monroe County Emergency Management officials said.
No storm watches or warnings, however, have been issued for the Florida Keys. But local officials say there is an increasing chance of hazardous weather conditions in the Atlantic waters offshore the Upper Florida Keys.
Monroe County Emergency Management officials are urging local residents and visitors to monitor weather forecasts over the next few days.
Meantime, Hurricane Humberto remained a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Saturday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory. The storm was located about 365 miles (587 kilometers) northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. It was moving west at 8 mph (13 kph).
Humberto could produce life-threatening surf and rip currents for the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Bermuda over the weekend, forecasters said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
