A disturbance in the northern Gulf of Mexico has been named Potential Tropical Cyclone Two by the National Hurricane Center and is forecast to become Tropical Storm and possibly Hurricane Barry as it lashes the northern Gulf Coast this weekend. This system will bring a threat of significant rainfall flooding, storm-surge flooding and high winds to parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and East Texas.
The NHC began issuing advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone Two on Wednesday morning.
The potential tropical cyclone category, which was launched in 2017, allows the NHC to issue forecasts for systems that have yet to develop but pose a threat of bringing tropical-storm-force or hurricane-force winds to land areas within 48 hours. Essentially, it allows watches and/or warnings to be issued with more lead time for systems that may develop quickly.
