Hurricane forecasters are encouraging Gulf Coast residents to monitor the progress of a tropical disturbance in the Caribbean Sea, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The low pressure depression is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the southwestern Caribbean, forecasters said Tuesday morning. As the system moves northwest and approaches the Gulf of Mexico, it could develop into a tropical depression late this week or this weekend.

Forecasters said there was a 40% chance of the system developing within a week. It poses no immediate threat to Louisiana.

Atlantic systems

Tropical Storm Joyce and Hurricane Isaac dissipated in the Atlantic Ocean, but two disturbances that were expected to stay away from land continue to gain strength.

What began as an unnamed tropical storm developed into Tropical Storm Kirk on Monday morning. The system is moving west-northwest at a speed of 23 km/h and maximum sustained winds of 60 km/h, forecasters said in a 7 a.m. update.

Meanwhile, a disturbance in the eastern tropical Atlantic continues to produce disorganized showers and thunderstorms several hundred miles from the Cape Verde Islands. Meteorologists said the system has an 80 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression within the next two days as it slowly drifts west over the water.

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