As the peak of hurricane season nears, forecasters are tracking a system that could develop into a named storm in the coming days.
The National Hurricane Center is keeping an eye on a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico that has a very good chance of strengthening as it moves north before possibly making landfall near Texas and Louisiana. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has already put state emergency responders on high alert and warned about the potential for torrential rainfall and flash flooding.
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Meanwhile, forecasters are also tracking two other storm systems in the Atlantic that are likely to strengthen. However, they are both located several hundred of miles east of the U.S. so it's still too early to tell whether they pose a potential threat.
Nonetheless, the tropics are getting more active ahead of what is typically the peak of hurricane season on Sept. 10.
To date, there have been five tropical storms, with three becoming hurricanes. Hurricane Beryl is the only major hurricane so far this year, becoming the earliest-forming Category 5 in the Atlantic on record.
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data shows that ocean temperatures over most of the Atlantic are well above average. The only exception is in a path from Puerto Rico to Bermuda after Hurricane Ernesto passed through the region and caused some upwelling of cooler water currents.
NOAA released updated projections last month, as the agency expects a more active than usual season. The agency forecasts there will be 17-24 named tropical storms, with 8-13 of them becoming hurricanes in 2024.
