Tropical Storm Julia is centered about 225 miles west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands, at latitude 15.3 north and longitude 27.7 west. It has maximum susatined winds of 50 mph and is moving west-northwest at 13 mph.
Tropical Storm Julia is expected to turn toward the northwest, with a slight decrease in forward speed, on Tuesday. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Tropical Storm Julia could become a hurricane during the next day or so.
Meanwhile, in the west-central Caribbean Sea, showers and thunderstorms associated with a broad area of low pressure remain poorly organized and have weakened over the past few hours. Some development is still possible while this sytem is over the northwestern Caribbean Sea, and there is a medium chance, 40 percent, of tropical cyclone formation before it moves inland over the Yucatan peninsula by Wednesday evening.
Regardless of development, locally heavy rainfall is possible over portions of Hispaniola, Jamaica, Cuba, the Cayman Islands and the Yucatan peninsula during the next day or two, possibly resulting in life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.