Hurricane forecasters say strengthening storm is aimed at Florida

Editor's note: Follow the latest news about this developing storm in our Friday coverage, including the latest maps and models

The National Hurricane Center on Friday morning kept tracking a "well-defined tropical wave" in the Atlantic Ocean that is currently producing showers and thunderstorms over several Caribbean islands, and could develop into Tropical Storm Debby . It will likely 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 forecasters are warning residents from Louisiana to Florida's west coast to remain ready.

Forecast models Friday morning have "trended toward a track of this system toward the Florida Peninsula this weekend," according to Weather.com . "From there, it might turn northeast and hug the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas early next week."

This system might slow down, or even stall, somewhere near northern Florida or near the Southeast coast, which could prolong the storm's impacts, Weather.com said.

State of emergency in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 54 of the state's 67 counties in anticipation of what could be the first major storm of the hurricane season, with the potential to cause weekslong river flooding, the Pensacola News Journal reported .

In a post on X Thursday afternoon , DeSantis said "Florida is monitoring Invest 97L in the Atlantic, which is expected to strengthen and potentially make landfall as early as this weekend. It will be slow-moving and bring lots of rain that could cause significant flooding. I encourage all residents to prepare for the storm and follow all guidance issued by @FLSERT and local emergency management officials."

Tropical depression likely to form this weekend

The NHC said Friday morning that the wave is expected to move near or over Cuba throughout the day Friday and then emerge over the Straits of Florida Friday night or Saturday.

"Environmental conditions are expected to be conducive for additional development after that time, and a tropical depression is likely to form this weekend over the Straits of Florida or eastern Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Peninsula," the NHC said.

Tropical storm watches or warnings could be required for portions of Florida later today.

Regardless of development, heavy rains could cause areas of flash flooding across Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas through the weekend, and the hurricane center said "interests in these locations should continue to monitor theprogress of this system."

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Bottom line: Be prepared

Although an organized storm has not formed yet, forecasters still advised folks to be prepared: "Residents from Louisiana to Florida's west coast have to be ready in case it rapidly intensifies," Pastelok said.

The National Weather Service in Tampa said, "for now, the bottom line is monitor the progress of this system, and check your hurricane preparedness plan."

With heavy rain in the forecast, "consider your vulnerability to flooding," the NWS said.

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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 .

A​ugust, September and October are usually considered the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, according to Weather.com. That's 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.

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: Hurricane forecasters say strengthening storm is aimed at Florida