Southeast Florida, the Keys and the Bahamas could receive heavy rainfall and tropical-storm force wind gusts in the next day or two from a potential tropical or subtropical disturbance.

Here’s the National Hurricane Center Special Tropical Weather Outlook issued at 2:40 p.m. EDT on Thursday, May 14, 2020, discussing the potential for tropical or subtropical development near the northwest Bahamas:

A trough of low pressure is located over the Straits of Florida and is producing a large area of cloudiness and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions are expected to become conducive for development, and this system is likely to become a tropical or subtropical storm by late Friday or Saturday when it is located near the northwestern Bahamas. The system is then forecast to move generally northeastward over the western Atlantic early next week. It has a high chance (70 percent) of formation during the next 48 hours and a high chance (80 percent) during the next five days. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate this system tomorrow, if necessary.

Regardless of development, the disturbance has the potential to bring heavy rainfall to portions of the Florida Keys, Southeast Florida, and the Bahamas through Saturday. Tropical-storm-force wind gusts are also possible in the Florida Keys, Southeast Florida, and the Bahamas during the next day or two. Hazardous marine conditions are expected along the Florida east coast and in the Bahamas where Gale Warnings are in effect. For more details, see products from your local weather office at www.weather.gov and the High Seas Forecasts at ocean.weather.gov/shtml/NFDHSFAT1.shtml.

The next Special Tropical Weather Outlook on this system will be issued by 9 p.m. EDT this evening, or earlier, if necessary.