The center of a tropical disturbance that flared up in the Gulf began to move across land on Friday, bringing heavy rainfall to parts of northeastern Mexico and South Texas.

If this storm becomes more organized before it moves over land, it would become Tropical Storm Fernand. A potential tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico could form and make landfall in Texas or Mexico before Erin even threatens land.

Tropical Storm Erin is expected to become a hurricane later today, Aug. 15, and a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph over the weekend. A major hurricane is a Category 3 or stronger, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph.

Invest 98L, the system that emerged in the Gulf earlier this week, is strengthening as it moves northward and will likely be significant rian to Texas.

The weather system, designated AL98, is forecast to move west-northwestward across the southwestern Gulf of Mexico during the next day.

The National Hurricane Center says there’s now a 50% chance a tropical system could form in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico in the next 24–48 hours. The small low-pressure area could strengthen into a tropical depression or weak tropical storm before moving into northeastern Mexico or South Texas late Friday or early Saturday.

With the disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico, renamed by the U.S. government as the Gulf of America, rain is in the forecast for Corpus Christi. The National Hurricane Center reported there is a 50% chance of the disturbance forming into a cyclone anywhere from Aug. 17 through Aug. 22.

With a name like Bandit, it's got to be a record-breaker. Houston-based energy giant (and uniform patch-level Astros sponsor) Occidental Petroleum is partnering with Chevron to drill the deepest well to date in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a new report in Offshore magazine.