The National Hurricane Center keeps tracking a "well-defined tropical wave" in the Atlantic Ocean that is currently producing showers and thunderstorms over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and could develop into Tropical Storm Debby and threaten the mainland U.S. this weekend or early next week.
The storm, designated as Invest 97L by the NHC, is approaching Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, where AccuWeather forecasters are warning residents from Louisiana to Florida's West Coast to remain ready.
"The latest models show it going into the eastern Gulf and then exploding there," said AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok. "Residents from Louisiana to Florida's West Coast have to be ready in case it rapidly intensifies."
Tropical depression could form this weekend
The NHC said Thursday afternoon that development of this system remains unlikely during the next couple of days while it moves west-northwestward over portions of the Greater Antilles. However, environmental conditions are forecast "to be more conducive for development after the wave passes the Greater Antilles." The Greater Antilles include Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.
"A tropical depression could form this weekend or early next week over the eastern Gulf of Mexico or far southwestern Atlantic Ocean, including in the vicinity of Florida," the NHC said in an advisory Thursday afternoon.
The hurricane center also said interests across the Greater Antilles, Bahamas, and Florida should continue to monitor the progress of this system, which it says has a 70% chance of formation within the next seven days.
Atlantic storm tracker
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Invest 97L spaghetti models
Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.
What needs to happen for Invest 97L to become Tropical Storm Debby?
If its winds reach 39 mph, the system would receive the name Tropical Storm Debby, and it would be the fourth named storm of what's predicted to be an extremely active 2024 Atlantic hurricane season .
August, September and October are usually considered the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, according to Weather.com. This is because water temperatures are often at their warmest, wind shear is at its lowest and humidity has increased across the basin, all of which contribute to hurricane formation.
When is the Atlantic hurricane season?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
The peak of the season is Sept. 10, and the most activity happens from mid-August to mid-October, according to the Hurricane Center.
Contributing: Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network-Florida
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Be ready': Hurricane forecasters worried about storm heading toward Florida
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