According to the National Hurricane Center, showers and thunderstorms are becoming better organized with an area of low pressure over the northwestern Caribbean Sea.
A tropical depression or storm is likely to form within the next day or two as the system moves north where more development is expected.
Formation chance through the next 48 hours is 80% while the chance of formation over the next 7 days is 90%.
If it forms into a tropical storm, it will be given the name Helene.
The system is expected to produce heavy rain over portions of Central America over the next several days.
Several computer models show the system moving north toward the eastern Gulf Coast, most likely somewhere along the Florida Panhandle. But Helene's path is not yet clear. Everyone east of New Orleans should be prepared for impacts.
Depending on the storm's ultimate path, North Carolina could see rain and wind toward the end of this week or weekend.
Specific impacts will not be known until the disturbance forms and starts moving in the Gulf of Mexico.