They know it’s coming; they just don’t know how intense it will be. A storm is forming in the Gulf of Mexico that could impact travel to Florida, the southeastern United States, and the Caribbean.

As of Friday, August 2, it is being called invest 97L. It is considered a tropical depression. There is no clear consensus on whether it will develop into a tropical storm or a hurricane, but it is expected to deliver heavy rains of as much as four-nine inches from Naples to Tampa on the west coast of Florida and then veer, perhaps, to the Orlando area in central Florida.

And
then maybe enter the Carolinas and Georgia and head up the East Coast of the
country.

All
of which could impact travel and tourism at the height of the summer season. The
brunt of the storm is expected to hit the Caribbean and southwestern Florida
this weekend.

“A
storm center that remains over or close to the large, mountainous islands of
the northern Caribbean from Hispaniola to Cuba will tend to keep strengthening
at bay,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said.

There
is also a threat of high winds and power outages. And we all saw recently what
an outage of any kind can
do to travel.

Of
course, the good news is that this isn’t the first rodeo for the airlines or
cruise lines. Check with your individual carrier regarding waivers, delays and cancellations.

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