The National Hurricane Center began issuing advisories for Potential Tropical Cyclone 9, a storm system the agency predicts will become a hurricane and possibly hit Florida later this week.
The system is off the coast of Honduras and Nicaragua and is expected to drift north and gain strength as it inches toward the U.S.
The National Hurricane Center expects the system to become a tropical storm by Tuesday and a hurricane by Wednesday. Before threatening the U.S., it could bring hurricane-force conditions to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba's western tip. Hurricane watches and tropical storm warnings were issued for the region.
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Once it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, it will encounter extremely warm sea surface temperatures, which could fuel rapid development. Several forecast models indicate a possible hurricane could threaten the Florida Gulf Coast by the end of the week.
"While the system is currently broad and not well organized, the models suggest a more well-defined center should develop during the next day or so. Once the system becomes better organized and develops an inner core, the environmental and oceanic conditions appear favorable for significant strengthening," wrote National Hurricane Center forecaster Brad Reinhart.
Reinhart added that the system could potentially become a major hurricane, and Hurricane Hunters will investigate the storm's potential later Monday.
So far in 2024, the Atlantic hurricane season has produced seven named tropical system, including four hurricanes and one major hurricane. Just two weeks ago, Hurricane Francine came ashore in Louisiana as a Category 2 system.
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The next system to form in the Atlantic would given the name Helene.
