The system could become Tropical Storm Alex, the first storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.
A rapidly growing weather system brewing in the Gulf of Mexico was expected to bring heavy rain and flooding to South Florida and parts of Cuba on Friday and into the weekend, meteorologists said. A tropical storm warning, bringing with it an elevated risk of extremely strong winds and heavy rain, was in effect across South Florida, eastern Cuba and the Bahamas. As of early Friday morning, the system had sustained winds of 40 miles per hour and was expected to develop a well-defined center and become Tropical Storm Alex, the first named stormed of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center said the storm was likely to strengthen as it moved toward Florida on Friday, and it warned that the storm could intensify further over the weekend after it moves east of Florida and over the western Atlantic late Saturday and Sunday.
