An area of low pressure located in the north-central Gulf on Thursday night could bring heavy rain to parts of the northern Gulf coast through the weekend, forecasters said.
If it remains far enough offshore, conditions could be conducive for tropical development in the next day or so while it moves west or west-northwest, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of 8 p.m. Thursday, it had a 10% chance of developing over the next two to seven days, the hurricane center said.
The next named storm to form would be Tropical Storm Dexter.
The system is likely to move over land by the weekend, the hurricane center said, ending any chance for it to develop.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had initially forecast an expected 13 to 19 named storms for the year, of which six to 10 would grow into hurricanes. Three to five of those would develop into major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher.
Colorado State University researchers recently updated their forecast saying they expect the season to be slightly less active than what they had predicted earlier this year.
