NHC monitoring tropical disturbance with 70% chance for development

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a disturbance in the Eastern and Central Atlantic, as of Saturday morning.

The tropical wave is showing a 70% chance for development over the next seven days.

According to the NHC, the "elongated trough of low pressure" is already producing shower and thunderstorm activity and is expected to develop slowly over the next few days.

The storm will continue to move westward across the Atlantic during the middle, to the later part of next week.

"One tropical wave in the Bay of Campeche is expected to become our next named storm as it moves north. It has a 70% chance of development over the next few days. It is expected to make landfall next week near the Texas/Louisiana border. There are two other tropical waves in the far eastern Atlantic that have low chances for development, but may develop slowly in the coming days. None of these waves appear to impact the Tampa Bay area," Max Defender 8 Meteorologist Eric Stone said.

Another disturbance, near the coast of Mexico, has a medium chance of development as it approaches the Yucatan peninsula and enters the southern Gulf.