A low-pressure system in the northwestern Caribbean now has a 70 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone - and potentially a tropical storm, but not a hurricane - in the next two days, the National Weather Service reported.
The track forecast still calls for this system to move into the southern Gulf of Mexico on Thursday and move north-northwest towards Louisiana, said Roger Erickson, warning coordination meteorologist for the weather service's Lake Charles, La., office.
"Stronger upper level winds should limit development of this system as it approaches the northern Gulf coast this weekend. Also, as a cold front approaches our region, it will help steer this system towards southeast Louisiana or even further to the east," Erickson said.
The primary local weather impact will be tides running around one foot above normal through Saturday for southeast Texas and southwest and south central Louisiana, resulting in minor coastal flooding.