Tropical Storm Mindy forms suddenly off Florida amid warnings landfall could be imminent

It is 13th storm of hurricane season but not expected to develop damaging winds

Tropical Storm Mindy formed suddenly over the Gulf of Mexico and could make landfall just as quickly, weather experts have warned.

The storm was 90 miles southwest of Apalachicola, Florida, at 5pm eastern time on Tuesday and moving northeast at 21mph.

Tropical storm warnings have been issued along the coast of Florida from Mexico Beach, Florida, to Steinhatchee River.

Forecasters have been watching this particular weather system since late August, says AccuWeather.

Because Mindy, the 13th named storm of the hurricane season, formed so close to land it is not expected to bring with it damaging winds.

It was expected to make landfall along the Florida panhandle on Wednesday night and move across the state into Georgia on Thursday.

Forecasters say it will bring with it heavy showers and thunderstorms across the southeastern states into Friday.

Some areas could see between three and six inches of rain, while most places will get between one and two inches.

Flooding could impact Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Florida, as well as Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.

The weather system is expected to track east of the areas of Louisiana that are recovering from Hurricane Ida last month.

“The centre of this system was over some of the deepest warm water of the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday,” said AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.

Mindy is expected to weaken as it moves over land, but could re-strengthen when it crosses back over Atlantic water later this week.

The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season has seen five tropical storms strengthen into hurricanes, with three of those major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.

On average there are 14 named systems with seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

The peak of the hurricane season comes near its halfway point on 10 September and 2021 remains on pace to be a well-above average year.