The news comes as millions of Americans are still reeling from Helene, which devastated the Southeast after making landfall in Florida's Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane.
The death toll from Helene has increased to 95, and millions are still without power or having issues with cell phone signals and internet connectivity.
The new potential tropical storm is now located over the western Caribbean Sea and is expected to slowly move west-northwestward into the Gulf of Mexico during the latter portion of this week. That's the same area where Helene developed.
"Conditions appear to be conducive for gradual development," the National Hurricane Center said in a statement early Monday morning, Sept. 30, "and a tropical depression could form around the middle part of this week."
The area from the western Caribbean to the Gulf of Mexico will remain a potential tropical development zone into the first half of October, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
"Over the next week, one to two tropical storms could be born in this zone and potentially steered across part of the southeastern US," according to AccuWeather.
Kirk, Leslie, and Milton are the next scheduled names for storms in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs for two more months, through Saturday, Nov. 30.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Mansfield-Storrs and receive free news updates.