A system that has been producing heavy rain and thunderstorms across Florida could become a tropical depression later this week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical system threatens Gulf Coast with heavy rain and flooding; New Orleans braces for up to a foot of rainfall this week. Follow Newsweek's live blog.

The National Hurricane Center said July 16 it is continuing to monitor an area of low pressure moving across Florida toward the Gulf.

A sprawling tropical system churning toward the Gulf Coast threatens to bring significant rain and flash flooding this week to a large swath of the southeast, from the Florida panhandle to Louisiana and parts of eastern Texas.

A tropical weather system near the Florida Panhandle is showing a moderate chance of becoming a tropical depression. The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday that the system could

A disorganized low-pressure area off Florida's east coast is showing increasing chances of becoming a tropical depression or tropical storm later in the week, the National Hurricane Center said. Even now, it's already having an influence on Florida weather with isolated torrential rain.

There’s growing concern for another significant rain and flooding event this week, this time along the Gulf Coast, from what could become the Atlantic basin’s next tropical system.

Depression or no depression, the system could bring several inches of rain to the north-central Gulf Coast, including Alabama, through Friday. The National Weather Service in Mobile thinks that the most rain with this system will likely fall closer to the coast, with scattered storms possible.

The system’s slow passage over Florida has meant days of rain throughout the state, leading to street flooding in South Florida. However, the Miami office of the National Weather Service expects the rain to slow down, alleviating any concerns about deep flooding.

Houston is expected to be hit by heavy rainfall later in the week, with a slight risk of excessive rainfall on Friday in eastern and southern parts of the area. Regardless of development, showers and thunderstorms will likely move through southeast Texas.

A disorganized low-pressure area off Florida is showing increasing chances of becoming a tropical depression or tropical storm this week.