A tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic has developed into Invest 91L as it slowly moves west toward the Caribbean, forecasters said Friday morning.
The system is increasingly likely to develop into Tropical Storm Gabrielle over the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The disturbance was between west Africa and the Lesser Antilles as of 7 a.m. Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters said it is likely to become a tropical depression or tropical storm over the weekend or early next week.
If the system strengthens to named status, it will be called Gabrielle.
The disturbance was moving 5 to 10 mph across the central tropical Atlantic Friday morning and is likely to be near the Lesser Antilles by the middle or later part of next week.
“Interests in the Lesser Antilles & Leeward Islands, and anyone traveling to the Caribbean should closely keep an eye on this heading into next week,” Dylan Federico, a meteorologist for WSVN in Miami and a New Orleans native said in a Thursday Facebook post.
The disturbance does not currently pose a threat to Louisiana or the Gulf Coast, however Federico said uncertainty still exists over where the storm will end up.
WDSU meteorologist Derek Sibley said Friday that some models show the system moving north of the Lesser Antilles while others show it dissipating in the Caribbean.
New Orleans meteorologist Scot Pilié said the intensity forecast is “a bit more volatile” with the system because of its small size.
As of 7 a.m. Friday, the system has a 90% chance of forming within the next week and a 60% chance of forming within the next 48 hours.