A tropical storm watch was issued for Polk County Tuesday morning as Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 is expected to strengthen into Hurricane Helene.

A tropical depression or storm is likely to form over the next couple of days. Take a look at Polk County's forecast.

In addition to inhabitants of the Big Bend and Panhandle areas, residents from Fort Myers, Fla., to Gulfport and Biloxi, Miss., should remain on alert

A disturbance in the Caribbean Sea is expected to strengthen into a hurricane that will take aim at Florida midweek.

Florida's Gulf Coast is bracing for the potential of a significant hurricane landfall later this week, as a possible tropical storm that could ultimately become Hurricane Helene is organizing in the Caribbean.

A major hurricane is expected to form this week and threaten the Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Monday. The NHC said in a forecast discussion Monday that a “disturbance” named Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine “is expected to intensify into a major hurricane before it approaches the northeastern Gulf Coast on Thursday.

A system called Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine centered about 350 miles south-southeast of the western tip of Cuba has prompted tropical storm and hurricane watches in western Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico,