Low pressure system near Naples becoming better organized

MIAMI - Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico about 75 miles southwest of Naples is gradually becoming better organized.

Shower and thunderstorm activity associated with the system is increasing and the low could acquire tropical characteristics over the next few days as it moves to the west-northwest at 5-10 mph.

The system has a high chance - 60 percent - of becoming a tropical or subtropical storm during the next 24 hours.

For the Tampa Bay area, that adds up to a good chance for rain and thunderstorms today as tropical moisture flows through the region. Some downpours could be heavy resulting in localized flooding.

Another low pressure system some 800 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands has a 70 percent chance of becoming a tropical storm soon.

It's expected the head northward during the next few days and poses no threat to the U.S. mainland.