The National Hurricane Center has started issuing advisories on a tropical wave south of the Bahamas. It does not have enough organization to be considered a tropical depression or storm, but will acquire those characteristics in the next day or so. Soon to be Imelda could be the first real threat to the United States this year.

Over the weekend, gusty winds and rain will begin to spread over the Bahamas as future Imelda steadily gains organization. It will generally keep a northerly track, and approach the eastern United States early next week. Although exact strength of the system at this time is a bit uncertain, hurricane strength cannot be ruled out. Landfall somewhere along the East Coast is expected sometime Monday or Tuesday, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and storm surge.

The Storm Station is here for you, tracking the tropics on every platform. Your weather updates can be found on News 2, wbrz.com, and the WBRZ WX App on your Apple or Android device. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and Twitter for even more weather updates while you are on the go. You can also find tropical updates on our Hurricane Center HERE.