Rain likely today as storm strengthens over Gulf of Mexico

This satellite image from about 7:30 a.m. shows a broad low-pressure area over the Gulf of Mexico strengthening. Forecasters are predicting rain across Florida most of today as the system becomes a tropical depression. (National Hurricane Center)

Expect rain most of today as the low pressure system over the Gulf of Mexico continues to become better organized.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center expect the system to become a tropical depression later today or tonight.

At 8 a.m., the center of the broad area of cloudiness and building storms was centered about 270 miles east-southeast of the Mississippi River, the hurricane center said. A buoy in the eastern Gulf is beginning to pick up tropical storm force winds, the center said. Most of the associated storms are east of the center.

Forecasters generally expect the storm system to turn toward the west, but can't rule out an easterly turn toward Florida because of the large disparity in model guidance used to forecast track, the weather service said this morning.

The Center is urging all residents and visitors around to pay close attention to the storm this weekend.

Either way Florida will get a soaking this weekend as winds over the region pull in heavy moisture, said the weather service.

If the system develops into a tropical storm, it would be named Debby.

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