Tropical Depression 25 strengthens, becomes Tropical Storm Gamma

By WRAL Severe Weather Center

Tropical Storm Gamma made its way through the Yucatan Peninsula on Saturday morning.

It strengthened from a Tropical Depression to a Tropical Storm on Friday.

As of Saturday morning, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving at a speed of 9 mph. To become classified as a hurricane, a storm needs to have maximum sustained winds of 74 mph.

The storm is bringing showers and thunderstorms across Mexico on Saturday morning. As of 6 a.m., it was about 75 south of Cozumel Mexico.

Gamma is expected to move north and then west in the Yucatan. WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Garner said that there will be front that will “hold” this systems down to the south.

There is a second disturbance near the Yucatan Peninsula which has a low chance of developing over the next couple of days.

Regardless of tropical development, heavy rainfall leading to the risk for flash flooding will remain across the Cayman Islands through Friday, as well as portions of the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba through the weekend and potentially into early next week.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is already the second most active on record with 68 days left to go.