Tropical depression forms in Gulf of Mexico on 1st day of hurricane season

A tropical depression has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. National Hurricane Center forecasters said in a Thursday afternoon advisory that the storm had sustained winds of 35 miles per hour and was located about 305 miles west-northwest of Fort Myers, Florida. The National Hurricane Center predicted the depression could strengthen to a tropical storm Thursday night or Friday. But the system should begin to weaken by Friday night and degenerate into a remnant low by Saturday. The Atlantic hurricane season officially began Thursday and runs through Nov. 30. Last year’s season had 14 named storms, with extensive damage caused by Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona.