Hurricane forecasters monitoring tropical disturbance south of Pensacola in Gulf of Mexico

National Hurricane Center forecasters are monitoring a new disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico that has a 20% chance of strengthening into a tropical cyclone within the next 48 hours.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, meteorologists issued information on a small low-pressure system that formed south of Pensacola, near the northern Gulf Coast.

Slight development is possible before the system moves inland early Monday, forecasters reported. The system could move northeastward and emerge offshore near the Carolinas later this week — with a stronger 40% chance of tropical cyclone formation within the next five days.

"The main threat is heavy rain, which is mostly associated with the existing broad low-pressure area, and is already falling along and offshore of the Florida Panhandle and the northern Gulf coast," Bryan Norcross, hurricane specialist at WPLG-TV/Local 10 in South Florida, posted Sunday morning on Facebook.

Far offshore, about 185 miles northeast of Bermuda, Tropical Depression Five could strengthen into a tropical storm by Sunday night. As of 11 a.m. Sunday, this system continued tracking to the northeast with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. 

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Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1. To subscribe: https://cm.floridatoday.com/specialoffer/