The next tropical storm in the Atlantic basin could form later this week as thunderstorms brew in the Caribbean.

The National Hurricane Center said Tuesday it is tracking a system in the Caribbean Sea that could become a tropical depression later this week.

A system in the Caribbean became Tropical Storm Rafael Monday and was expected to become a hurricane later in the week, forecasters said.

A tropical depression is likely to form in the Caribbean and could become a tropical storm or hurricane once it reaches the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico next week, forecasters say. Once it has a center, meteorologists will be better able to determine the storm’s possible paths. AccuWeather

A disturbance in the North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea could form over the southwester Caribbean Sea, The National Hurricane Center said.

A wave of disorganized shower activity near the central Caribbean is expected to move into the central or western Caribbean Sea by the end of the week or the start of the weekend. Slow development into a tropical system will be possible as it travels into a more favorable environment.