Showers and thunderstorms located over the south of Jamaica are beginning to organize. Current conditions favor the development of a tropical storm and then a hurricane in the next few days. The storm is expected to become Hurricane Rafael by Tuesday or Wednesday. The system is forecast to move northward across Cuba and into the Gulf of Mexico. The current path has the storm moving to the west of Panama City Beach, but because the storm is still several days out, the path could change, so we will continue to monitor it.
This chart will help you to correlate the Category ratings to the sustained wind speeds:
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
At this time, the main concern for Panama City Beach will be heavy winds, rain and possible flooding. Rip currents, strong wind gusts, coastal flooding and tornados are also possible. The governor may declare a state of emergency for the state of Florida as a pro-active step to prepare for the impact on the coast, and the rains and flood waters that are expected across the state. This is standard protocol.No mandatory evacuations have been announced or are anticipated at this time for Panama City Beach or Santa Rosa Beach.
For additional info about Storm Preparations, you can read our blog post: Be Prepared for a Tropical Storm or HurricaneIf we need to move balcony furniture, you will be contacted as soon as that’s confirmed.
We will continue to monitor the storm as if moves through the gulf. Storm paths can change quickly, so we will continue to monitor this storm under Storm Updates on our website.
