TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Tropical Storm Cristobal made its way back onshore Wednesday in Mexico, where it is expected to weaken before finding its way back to the Gulf.
Cristobal, the third named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, formed on Tuesday from Tropical Depression Three. The system was part of the remnants of the Pacific’s Tropical Storm Amanda.
As of 11 p.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Cristobal is about 20 miles south of Ciudad del Carmen in Mexico. Cristobal has been nearly stationary this evening but a slow southeast or east motion should resume overnight and has weakened slightly with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.
The NHC says slow weakening is forecast in the next 48 hours. They’re expecting Cristobal to become a tropical depression again by Thursday evening but say some re-strengthening is expected on Friday.
As the storm emerges back into the southern Gulf on Friday, it will pick up forward speed and likely move toward the Gulf Coast states as a potentially stronger tropical storm.
Cristobal could bring some impacts far from the center of the storm which will include the possibility of heavy rains, flash flooding and strong gusty winds. It is too soon to pinpoint exactly where those impacts will be felt.
We will bring you live updates on Tropical Storm Cristobal throughout the week. Watch Tracking the Tropics every day at 2 p.m. ET to hear from our team of top meteorologists from across the country.