A disorganized low-pressure system over the northeastern Gulf of America has a 60 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression within the next seven days, the National Hurricane Center said in an outlook issued at 2 a.m. EDT on July 19, 2026. The chance of formation within 48 hours is also 60 percent.
The system, tracked by the NHC under the designation AL91, was becoming better defined even though its shower and thunderstorm activity remained disorganized, the outlook said. Forecasters expect it to drift slowly northward or northwestward over the next couple of days, with gradual development possible along that path. An Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft, one of the "hurricane hunter" planes that fly directly into developing storms to measure wind and pressure, was scheduled to investigate the system later on July 19 if forecasters needed the data.
Interests along the northern Gulf Coast from Florida, Alabama and Mississippi to Louisiana should track the system, the NHC said. It is expected to bring heavy rain to parts of that region over the next several days.
WTI crude, watched closely by energy markets, stood at $84.65 a barrel as of June 15, according to the EIA. That figure is more than a month old and predates the disturbance.
