Invest 97L: Tropical disturbance likely on its way to the Gulf of Mexico, US Gulf Coast

ORLANDO, Florida – According to the National Hurricane Center, a tropical depression is likely to form in the Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico this week. It is not yet known whether this system will develop into a tropical storm or a hurricane.

It's one of three disturbances the National Hurricane Center is monitoring in the Caribbean and Atlantic. Here's the latest information on each.

Tropical low pressure area on its way to the Gulf of Mexico?

The National Hurricane Center said there is a widespread area of ​​showers and thunderstorms in the western Caribbean and it is likely to develop into a tropical depression later this week.

The latest warning indicated an 80 percent probability of further development of the system over the next seven days.

“Environmental conditions appear favorable for the development of this system, and it is likely that a tropical depression or tropical storm will develop during the next few days and move northward across the northwestern Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico,” the NHC said.

Residents and stakeholders in the northwestern Caribbean, Yucatan Peninsula, and western Cuba should closely monitor the development of this system. It is expected to move northward across the Gulf of Mexico later this week, and those along the northern and northeastern Gulf Coast should also stay abreast of its progress.

Central Subtropical Atlantic (Invest 96L):

Showers and thunderstorms have subsided in association with a low pressure system several hundred miles southeast of Bermuda.

Due to the dry air and increasing high altitude winds, this system is not expected to develop.

The system is moving northward across the central subtropical Atlantic at 5 to 10 miles per hour with a 0% chance of formation in both the next 48 hours and the next 7 days.

Eastern and Central Tropical Atlantic:

A tropical wave near the west coast of Africa is expected to move westward over the next few days.

Environmental conditions may favor gradual development, with a tropical depression possibly developing mid- to late-week as the system moves across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic.

The probability of occurrence is almost 0% in the next 48 hours and 50% in the next 7 days.