A stubborn storm in the Gulf of Mexico has a high chance of gaining enough strength to become a tropical cyclone within the next 48 hours, weather experts said.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said there is a 60 percent chance of the storm becoming a tropical cyclone, as conditions are conducive for Tropical Depression Five to develop as it moves west and then northwest over the northern portion of the Gulf within the next day.
The storm is currently located about 60 miles southwest of Panama City, Fla.
The system already made landfall once late last week in Louisiana but failed to intensify into a tropical storm. At the time, the NHC described the storm as poorly organized and as of Aug. 12 the NHC gave the storm a near 0 percent chance of becoming a tropical cycle within 48 hours.
"Regardless of development, locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds are possible along the portions of the north central Gulf of Mexico coast through Tuesday," the NHC said.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency last week as the tropical depression approached the Louisiana coast. It also forced work at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig site to stop.
