A system moving through the Caribbean was still a potential tropical cyclone Thursday night, but the National Hurricane Center said it was close to becoming the season's next named storm.
"The disturbance is gradually becoming better organized, with some convective banding attempting to form west of the center during the past several hours. Radar imagery from Curacao also suggests there could be a better-defined center trying to form just to the south of Bonaire and Curacao, but there are not enough nearby surface observations to confirm that," said the NHC. "Therefore, the system is not yet designated as a tropical depression."
A hurricane hunter aircraft was scheduled to survey the disturbance Thursday night.
Models show the system, which could reach hurricane strength by Sunday, is expected to continue heading westward towards a possible landfall along the coast of Nicaragua.
"Based on the forecast track, the system is unlikely to survive a trek across the terrain of Central America, and dissipation is therefore shown by day 5," the NHC added.