Caribbean could drench Gulf coast with tropical rains Memorial Day weekend

HOUSTON, Texas -- A disturbance in the Caribbean could drench the central and eastern Gulf Coast with tropical rains Memorial Day weekend.

The National Hurricane Center is issuing special tropical outlooks for this disturbance that is expected to move into the Gulf by Thursday. It has a 40 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression or Tropical Storm "Alberto" over the next five days.

Some computer models track it as far west as Louisiana.

Regardless of the track, several inches of rain are likely to fall from New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle.

Hurricane season officially begins June 1, but a tropical storm does occasionally form before then, including the past three hurricane seasons.