In the Gulf, Invest 98L has a low chance for development, before it moves inland over northeastern Mexico or southern Texas by late Friday. The National Weather Service in Brownsville, Texas, said regardless of tropical development, locally heavy rain and increased swells "will be a concern" along the Texas coast.

The system is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Friday and could even become a major hurricane, according to experts.

Tropical Storm Erin may near Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic before likely turning north as a hurricane, sparing the U.S.