Conditions in the Gulf of Mexico are favorable for a new storm to develop there this week, according to forecasters.
A disturbance in the waters of the southwest Caribbean, called Invest 90L by weather forecasters, may intensify into a tropical depression or storm by the weekend and pose a threat to some part of the United States' Gulf Coast next week, The Weather Channel reported.
Warm waters that run hundreds of feet deep and rising wind shear could encourage a storm to form that has the potential to impact Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, western Cuba, and the U.S. Gulf Coast, TWC reported, although it is too early to predict any exact track or whether the disturbance will form into a storm.
The storm would be named Nate if it does form, AccuWeather reported. On the Gulf Coast, areas including Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and southeastern Louisiana could be impacted. Belize and the Cayman Islands could also be affected.
Even if the storm remains weak, if could bring heavy rains and flash flooding to areas that have already received wind and water damage from previous storms. The areas mentioned are expected to experience showers and thunderstorms over the next few weeks even if a stronger storm doesn’t form, AccuWeather reported.
Twitter users were already nervous about what another Gulf hurricane could mean for the region.