The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is monitoring a developing area of low pressure, while forecast models suggest the system could move toward the northeast Caribbean.
Forecasters are closely monitoring a developing weather system in the central Atlantic, with conditions expected to become more favorable for tropical development later this week.
NOAA says an area of low pressure located several hundred miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms.
The system is expected to move slowly westward, while a tropical wave currently moving across West Africa could merge with the disturbance within the next couple of days. NOAA says environmental conditions are forecast to become more conducive for development by midweek, increasing the possibility that a tropical depression could form during the latter half of the week.
The system is expected to move generally westward to west-northwestward across the central tropical Atlantic.
Additional forecasting indicates that the chances of tropical development have risen to as high as 70 percent, with some projections suggesting the system could become Tropical Storm Cristobal if it strengthens sufficiently.
Forecast models are generally in agreement on a west-northwestward track, which could bring the system toward the northeast Caribbean later this week. However, its eventual path and strength remain uncertain.
Longer-range guidance from the European model suggests the system could eventually turn north and move away from the United States, although forecasters continue to monitor the disturbance closely as new data becomes available.
The potential development comes as the Atlantic hurricane season enters its climatologically busiest period, with August and September typically accounting for the greatest amount of tropical activity.
Residents across the Caribbean are being encouraged to monitor official weather updates as forecasters assess whether the disturbance will organize into a tropical depression or stronger tropical system in the coming days.