Tropicast: 07/29/2011

Good morning to everybody!  Today's update concerns Tropical Storm Don in the Gulf of Mexico, and Invest 91L in the Atlantic.  We will also talk about potential development in the Pacific Ocean inside of this week.  It looks like we are going to be submerged in another very active tropical period.  First, Don.  At this point it appears very likely that Don will impact Texas head-on, with winds potentially exceeding 60 mph in the eyewall, especially on the right side of the storm compared to its storm motion.  While those are a little bit worrying, the main thing with this system is the dent it will put in the Texas drought.  It could bring a few inches of rain to some areas.  After this we will go right back to drought conditions though.  This storm will just miss the worst part of the drought.  Here is Don's satellite (This should update while I'm on vacation again):

Don should die quickly once he hits land.  Next we have Invest 91L.  This has potential to be the strongest storm so far this Atlantic hurricane season.  Category 3 status is possible.  At this point, I don't think US landfall is likely, however it may impact some of the Caribbean islands.  We will watch this as close as we can while on vacation.  We may also see a system develop in the Eastern Pacific.  Stay tuned.