Analysis: Could Democrats lose control of Congress?
5:54
(CNN) --
It's the last month of hurricane season and there are two tropical disturbances in the Atlantic, one of which could impact Election Day.
The system that may affect Florida is currently bubbling over the Southwest Atlantic, just north of Puerto Rico, where a flood watch is in effect through Monday afternoon.
The tropical disturbance has already brought more than 5 inches of rain to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands since Saturday.
What can happen in Florida?
As the tropical disturbance moves north and away from Puerto Rico, weather and ocean conditions appear more favorable for further development and strengthening.
The National Hurricane Center has given this system a high chance of development in the next 48 hours and said "a subtropical or tropical depression is likely to form early this week."
Some forecast models even hint that the system could become a tropical storm before it approaches Florida and the Bahamas this week, although some uncertainty remains in the long-term forecast.
The system is forecast to strengthen as it moves west of the Bahamas on Monday, although a high pressure system will also be forming over the eastern United States at the same time.
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"This building high pressure will have a tendency to send the low pressure area west toward the Florida panhandle, although what this system will look like is not yet well understood," the Miami weather service office said earlier in the day. Sunday.
Rain forecast until Tuesday.
(Credit: CNN)
Regardless of when and how much this disturbance strengthens, impacts throughout Florida will be felt as early as Tuesday.
"Some of the most likely impacts from this system are potentially deadly high tides, coastal flooding, beach erosion and rip currents," the Miami weather service said.
"The impacts on land ... depend more on the exact type of system that will propagate towards the peninsula."
The type of system matters.
If the system remains subtropical, the stronger winds and heavier rainfall associated with it could impact a broader area, further from the center.
If the system is a tropical cyclone (depression, storm, or hurricane), the strongest winds and heaviest precipitation could be more impactful, but located closer to the center of where the storm is moving.
"At a minimum, periods of heavy rain are likely between Tuesday and Thursday, although (weather) model solutions remain divergent on both the timing and intensity of this system," the weather service added. Miami.
These weather forecast models show at least 3 to 6 inches of rain across the Florida panhandle through Thursday, with isolated higher amounts possible.
For Election Day in particular, the current forecast for Florida calls for gusty breeze conditions for much of the peninsula.
Rain chances will increase throughout the day for central and eastern cities like Miami, north to Daytona Beach, and inland toward Orlando and Okeechobee.
If you plan to vote in person, you'll want to have a windbreaker and umbrella handy.
A second tropical system may develop
There is also a second system in the Atlantic that is worth mentioning because it could affect the name given to the previous system, if either one strengthens enough to earn tropical storm status.
This tropical disturbance is over the Atlantic and is not expected to make landfall in the next few days.
If either system gets a name this week, the first will be called Nicole and the second Owen.
They could be the 14th and 15th named storms of the year.
An average Atlantic hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.
Currently this season there have been 13 named storms, seven hurricanes and two major hurricanes (Fiona and Ian).
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