HOLT, Fla., Aug. 30, 2023—The Atlantic is kicking it into high gear as the peak of the hurricane season continues.

While all eyes are focused on Hurricane Idalia, two more areas have popped up in the Atlantic Ocean.

An African tropical wave emerged off the coast Monday evening. Now identified as Invest 94, it has a 60 percent chance of development and could become a tropical depression later this week.

It is forecast to move west-northwest before turning northwestward across the eastern tropical Atlantic.

Early this morning, the National Hurricane Center identified the remains of Tropical Storm Gert located several hundred miles north of the Leeward Islands.

Conditions don’t appear to be favorable for additional development as the low drifts slowly northward, according to the NHC.

Just to the east-northeast of Gert is Tropical Depression 11 meandering eastward.

According to the NHC, the depression still has another day or so to briefly strengthen into a short-lived tropical storm; however, dry air may prevent further development.

To the north-northwest of TD11, Hurricane Franklin is expected to bring tropical storm conditions to Bermuda later today.

Franklin intensified into a category 4 storm Monday with maximum sustained winds at 145 mph. It has since weakened into a high-end category 2 storm with 110 mph winds.

The forecast is for continued gradual weakening and by the weekend, Frannklin should become a post-tropical system.

Hurricane Idalia

Finally, Hurricane Idalia made landfall near Keaton Beach around 7:45 a.m. EDT today in the Big Bend area as a category 3 storm with 125 mph winds.

The storm briefly strengthened to a category 4 storm with 130 mph winds just before landfall.

According to the NHC, catastrophic storm surge is occurring along the coast with damaging winds spreading inland over northern Florida.

Currently, maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph.

The system is located about 45 miles south-southwest of Valdosta, Ga., moving north-northeast at 18 mph.

A NOAA National Ocean Service tide gauge at Cedar Key recently reported a water level of 6.8 feet above the mean higher high water level.