The National Hurricane Center upgraded a disturbance in the western Caribbean to a depression last night.

 There’s a good chance of it becoming Tropical Storm Richard this morning. It is also has a good chance of becoming a hurricane by Saturday, Roger Erickson of the National Weather Service Forecast office in Lake Charles reported.

While it has weak steering currents right now, this system is expected to turn to the west and then northwest this weekend. The big question mark is whether is makes it into the Gulf of Mexico. The official forecast right now has it running into the Yucatan Peninsula on Monday, but confidence in this exact path is very low.

This system is not expected to be a threat to southeast Texas or southwest Louisiana. However, it could be a threat to portions of the southern Gulf of Mexico early next week.