Tropical Storm Fernand forms in Gulf of Mexico

With all eyes on Hurricane Dorian as it gears up to slam the East Coast, a tropical depression brewing in the Gulf of Mexico could become a named storm by Wednesday morning.

Tropical Depression 7 is currently spinning off the east coast of Mexico, just northwest of the Yucatán peninsula. It’s expected to hit the Mexican coast late Wednesday as a tropical storm, with sustained winds between 39 and 73 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm poses no immediate threat to Houston or Texas, although parts of South Texas have a small chance of getting tropical storm-speed winds.

There are also three other tropical disturbances in the Atlantic, one of which is off the coast of Africa and has a 90 percent chance of developing into a depression by later today. Two others have a 40 percent and 60 percent chance of development, according to the National Hurricane Center.

See the gallery above for maps from the National Hurricane Center. 

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message