First Depression of Season Nears Florida

South Florida will probably be spared the worst of the season’s first tropical depression as the storm passes through the Gulf of Mexico over the next few days.

Still, the outer bands could produce up to 2 inches of rain and 45-mph gusts here between today and Tuesday morning, said meteorologist Roberto Garcia of the National Weather Service in Miami.

The system, expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Alberto, has dumped more than 30 inches of rain over some sections of western Cuba.

For now, the weather service doesn’t plan to issue flood watches or warnings.

“It will depend on how strong it gets and whether it behaves according to the forecast track,” Garcia said.

Saturday night, the center of the poorly defined depression was in the southern Gulf of Mexico about 325 miles southwest of Key West, crawling northwest at 6 mph with sustained winds of 35 mph.

Emerging Saturday morning, the system was projected to head toward Florida’s west coast and strike near Cedar Key on Monday night. Its maximum winds were forecast to reach 50 mph, well short of the minimum for hurricane strength, which is 74 mph.

The new season might seem ominously similar to last year’s furious season, because both jumped out to an early start.

Last year, the first depression formed June 8 and grew into Tropical Storm Arlene.

The 2005 season ended with 28 storms and 15 hurricanes, the busiest and most destructive on record.