Tropical Storm Debby has formed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. This storm has winds topping out at 40 mph and it is moving NW at 15 mph. Debby will track through the eastern Gulf of Mexico, before making landfall as a Hurricane early Monday. This system poses no direct threat to Louisiana.

The tropical cyclone has become better organized since the last advisory, with the circulation center becoming better defined over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and areas of outer convective banding to the north and south of the central region. Surface observations in the Florida Keys, and ship reports in the Straits of Florida shows an area of 30-35 knots winds located about 120 nautical miles from the center in the eastern semicircle. Based on this information, Tropical Depression Four is upgraded to Tropical Storm Debby.

Conditions are favorable for strengthening over the Gulf of Mexico with warm sea surface temperatures and light wind shear. Intensification is likely to be slow during the first 12-24 hours, then proceed at a faster rate after the cyclone develops an organized inner core. The new intensity forecast calls for a peak intensity of 65 knots at landfall on the Gulf coast of Florida. Weakening is forecast after landfall while the system moves over the southeastern United States. Beyond 72 hours, the intensity forecast remains quite uncertain due to the possibility of land interaction.

The Storm Station is here for you, tracking the tropics on every platform. Your weather updates can be found on News 2, wbrz.com, and the WBRZ WX App on your Apple or Android device. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and Twitter for even more weather updates while you are on the go. You can also find tropical updates on our Hurricane Center HERE.