The National Hurricane Center in Miami is monitoring Tropical Depression Two as it slowly churns through the Gulf of Mexico, with forecasters expecting the system to gradually intensify before moving inland along the Gulf Coast.
As of 9:00 a.m. UTC on Monday, July 20, 2026, the storm’s center was pinpointed near latitude 28.5 degrees North and longitude 85.4 degrees West. The position is considered accurate within 30 nautical miles. The depression was moving toward the northwest at just 3 knots, or roughly 3.5 miles per hour.
At the time of the advisory, the storm’s maximum sustained winds stood at 30 knots — about 35 miles per hour — with gusts reaching up to 35 knots. The minimum central pressure was recorded at 1,007 millibars.
According to the forecast from the National Hurricane Center, the system is expected to strengthen as it continues its slow northwest drift. By Monday evening, forecasters project winds could reach 35 knots with gusts up to 45 knots. By Tuesday morning, the storm may intensify further to 40 knots sustained, with gusts near 50 knots.
The system is forecast to maintain winds around 45 knots — near tropical storm strength — through Wednesday, July 22, as it approaches the Gulf Coast. By early Thursday morning, July 23, the center is expected to move inland with sustained winds still around 40 knots.
Looking further out, the extended outlook places the storm along or near the coast on July 24 with winds of 35 knots, then pushing further inland by July 25 with winds dropping to 30 knots. Forecasters caution that track errors on day four average around 125 nautical miles, and around 175 nautical miles on day five, so the exact landfall location remains uncertain.
Ships within 300 nautical miles of the storm’s center have been asked to submit reports every three hours to help meteorologists track the system. The next full advisory was scheduled for 3:00 p.m. UTC Monday. This advisory was issued by Forecaster Papin.
