(RNN) - Tropical Storm Nate formed near the coast of Nicaragua on Thursday and is expected to impact the Gulf Coast this weekend.
It becomes the 16th named storm of the hurricane season. According to the National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. ET advisory, it was located about 10 miles south of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, with 40 mph sustained winds and is moving northwest at about 8 mph.
On its forecasted track, the center of Nate should move across northeastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras during the day and then over the northwestern Caribbean Sea Thursday night and Friday. The center is expected to approach the coast of the Yucatan peninsula late Friday. It is expected to make landfall in the U.S. early Sunday morning, with models predicting it coming ashore as far west as the central Louisiana coast and as far east as the Florida panhandle.
The NHC stated the storm is expected to have little change until it strengthens in the northwest Caribbean late Thursday and Friday. Heavy rainfall could cause flash floods and muslides in areas of Central America, and tropical storm warnings were issued for parts of Nicaragua and Honduras.
Parts of Mexico were placed in a hurricane watch.
The storm was a tropical depression by early Wednesday morning. The 2017 hurricane season is one of the worst on record, according to Business Insider.
Corrected: An up to date map with 2017 Atlantic tropical storm and hurricane tracks through September. Details https://t.co/nkcDj7NPaw pic.twitter.com/t8eOqPD4Lk
— NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) October 2, 2017
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria have had the most significant impact on populated areas, leaving more than 170 people dead.
These storms did significant damage to areas of the United States, especially in Houston and Florida.
Several islands in the Caribbean were completely devastated, including Puerto Rico, Barbados and the Virgin Islands.
The 2017 hurricane season doesn’t end until Nov. 30.
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