The USA and the Caribbean are still recovering from the destructive impact of Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.
But eyes are now turning to what could become the next named hurricane of the season: Hurricane Nate.
The NOAA National Hurricane Center, based in Miami, has said that there is a 90 per cent of cyclone formation within 48 hours.
The centre has located showers and thunderstorms associated with an area of low pressure over the southwestern Caribbean Sea.
The latest NHC update said: “This system is expected to become a tropical depression later today while it moves northwestward toward the coast of Nicaragua.
“The low should move slowly northwestward across or near the eastern portions of Nicaragua and Honduras on Thursday, move into the northwestern Caribbean Sea by Friday, and emerge over the southern Gulf of Mexico by Saturday.
“Interests in Nicaragua, Honduras, the Yucatan peninsula and western Cuba should monitor the progress of this system as watches or warnings could be issued later today.
The storm is expected to produce heavy rains, leading to flash flood and mudslides, in parts of Central America over the next few days.
There is a close to zero per cent chance that another storm could turn into a cyclone near Florida and Cuba.
The NHC said: “A trough of low pressure located over west-central Cuba and extending northward into the Straits of Florida is producing a broad area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms across the southern peninsula of Florida, the northwestern Bahamas, and the adjacent Atlantic waters.
“Although significant tropical development of this system is not expected due to strong upper-level winds, brief squalls will likely produce locally heavy rainfall and strong gusty winds over portions of the Bahamas and the southern Florida peninsula during the next couple of days.”