MIDWAY, Fla. (WTXL) -- The persistent tropical disturbance, now north of the Dominican Republic, has been gaining some additional organization Friday. Its nearby proximity to the mountainous island of Hispaniola will slow its efforts to further strengthen. However, the system will move over very warm waters near the Bahamas, with lighter upper-level winds, so there's a higher probability that the disturbance will reach tropical depression status over the weekend.
Since the cyclone has been tracking more to the northwest, its future path of movement will take the system into the western Atlantic, then curving to the north and northeast, according to most guidance data, safely off the east coast of Florida through early next week.
If the system becomes a tropical storm, it will be named Cristobal.
There are no other spots of immediate concern across the tropical Atlantic basin.
