Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Thursday ahead of a tropical disturbance brewing in the Caribbean.

The odds of development continue to increase for the tropical disturbance, dubbed Invest 97L, as it churns closer to the US.

However, the details of its potential impacts on the US remain murky, the FOX Forecast Center said.

The system may or may not organize into a tropical depression, perhaps even a tropical storm, late in the weekend or early next week as it slides into the Gulf of Mexico. 

Where is Invest 97L?

According to the NHC, the well-defined tropical wave is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms over Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the Southeastern Bahamas and the adjacent waters of the southwestern Atlantic and northeastern Caribbean Sea. 

“Development of this system should be slow to occur during the next day or so while it moves west-northwestward over portions of the Greater Antilles,” NHC said in its latest outlook.

“However, environmental conditions are forecast to be more conducive for development after the wave passes the Greater Antilles, and a tropical depression is likely to form this weekend or early next week over the eastern Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Peninsula.”

Interests across the Greater Antilles, Bahamas and Florida should continue to monitor the progress of this system, the NHC notes.

The disturbance has low but growing odds of developing in the next two days, and now the NHC increased the odds into the “high” category for development within a week.

Florida flood threat increases

The latest model projections indicate that the storm will move in the general direction of Florida and the eastern Gulf of Mexico, though uncertainty remains.

However, a couple of issues are consistent in the various predictions, says FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross.

“The system will drag a lot of moisture across the Florida peninsula and possibly surrounding states. Flooding rains are possible,” he said.

“(Second), the system will stall and remain near the northern half of Florida or the nearby areas for a number of days. Areas from the northern Gulf coast to the Carolinas could be affected, and a looping track where the storm impacts the same areas multiple times is not out of the question.”

Since the storm could develop quickly and close to Florida, there would be little time to prepare.

“Your prep time is going to be about 24 hours, if that,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin if the storm does develop near Florida.

“We could see this pull together when we already have rain moving on land. If this does develop, everything’s going to happen very quickly. So you need to make sure that you’re thinking about that and preparing you and your family for that potential.”

If the system strengthens into a tropical storm, it will be named Debby – the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.

But named storm or not, the system is promising heavy rains for Florida, especially the Gulf Coast side.

“Florida will have heavy rain no matter what happens from this, so you need to at least be prepared for that,” Merwin said.

“So Saturday, Sunday and Monday, we know we’re going to have heavy rain across Florida, and flooding is a potential.”

A Florida man was arrested after he allegedly left his 10-year-old daughter on the side of the road. The incident came after the grandparents said they would “involve law enforcement,” affidavit says.

A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday after police said he threw his 10-year-old daughter out of his car in the night, court records show.  

The father was arrested around Scott Boulevard and West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee after several witnesses said they saw him throwing his daughter and her belongings out of the vehicle on July 30, according to the affidavit obtained by USA TODAY. 

Witnesses to the incident said around 12:40 a.m. they saw a man throw the 10-year-old and her toys at her from a silver Toyota Tundra and flee the scene. The girl was visibly upset and was crying as her father left her there, the affidavit said.  

The affidavit said one of the witnesses decided to follow the father after he fled the scene. The witness said the man was driving at a high-speed rate, failed to stop for several red lights and nearly collided with other drivers on the road. The witness called law enforcement to conduct a traffic stop on the man as he continued to follow him on the highway.  

Child Death: 9-month-old boy dies in backseat of hot car after parent forgets daycare drop-off

Deputies are dispatched to help the 10-year-old left by her father 

Around 12:47 a.m. deputies from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a juvenile being left unattended in Kissimmee, the affidavit said.  

The affidavit said when a deputy arrived, the 10-year-old girl approached the patrol car. The deputy said the girl was, “visibly distraught; her face was red, and she was actively crying.” She told the deputy that her father dropped her off in the area and she was walking to her grandparents’ house, but her father took her phone before leaving her in the area.  

The 10-year-old girl was returned to her grandparents’ home and deputies informed them of the incident, the affidavit said.  

Father tells deputies about incident with daughter  

After conducting a traffic stop, the man was read his Miranda Rights, the affidavit said. 

The affidavit said that the man told responding deputies that he had a verbal agreement with his daughter’s grandparents regarding visitation. His daughter lives with the grandparents, and they sent a text message to him around 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday. In one of the messages the grandparents said that, “if he did not return (their granddaughter) to the residence, they would involve law enforcement.” 

The man then told deputies that he left his daughter in the area and told her to walk to her grandparents’ house which is approximately a 21-minute walk, the affidavit said. 

Florida father is facing charges  

According to records in the Osceola County Corrections database, the man is facing the following felony charge:  

• 1 count of child neglect with great bodily harm  

The Florida father’s bond is set at $5,000. A next court date has not been set.  

USA TODAY reached out to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office for comment but have not heard back.

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.

A​ disturbance tracking through the northern Caribbean islands could form into a tropical depression or storm as it crawls toward the waters near the eastern Gulf of Mexico and Florida this weekend into early next week. Florida is likely to see an enhancement of rainfall from this system, regardless of how much it develops in the coming days.

W​here is the disturbance now? The tropical wave that might eventually grow into a tropical depression or storm is located near Puerto Rico, or near the “X” in the graphic below, according to the National Hurricane Center.

After battling dry air for several days, the wave has sprouted increased shower and thunderstorm activity pushing westward through the northern Caribbean and southwest Atlantic. That’s one small step the system had to make on its journey to development.

W​hen and where could it develop? T​he National Hurricane Center says development is possible by this weekend or early next week, generally in the shaded area on the map below from the eastern Gulf to the Atlantic waters near Florida.

(For even more granular weather data tracking in your area, view your 15-minute details forecast in our Premium Pro experience.)

Is development a certainty? No, it’s not a slam dunk.

C​omputer models suggest wind shear may be relatively light, and there’s plenty of warm ocean water ahead of this system to fuel its development near the Bahamas or the Gulf of Mexico. These are both ingredients favorable for development.

However, this rather large tropical disturbance will likely have to interact with land along the way, particularly Hispaniola and Cuba, but also possibly Florida. So, it may take some time for one area of thunderstorms to persist over water, lower surface pressure and begin the process of developing a tropical depression, if that happens at all.

(Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our Premium Pro experience.)

Is this a U.S. threat? The short answer is probably yes, but it’s too soon to be completely sure about details.

I​t’s also too early to determine what other impacts this system might bring to Florida or any other parts of the southern U.S.

There is also the possibility for the system’s forward speed to at least temporarily slow to a crawl next week if it develops, particularly if it moves into the Gulf of Mexico.

T​he potential rainfall outlook shown below will likely change in future updates depending on the unknown details of this system.

For now, be sure to check back frequently to weather.com and The Weather Channel app for forecast updates in the days ahead.

Is this the seasonal ramp-up? The Atlantic has been accumulating Saharan dust s​ince Hurricane Beryl’s demise about three weeks ago.

T​his perk-up of activity comes amid the beginning of the most active time of the year in the tropics and a wave of more favorable atmospheric conditions known as the favorable phase of the Madden-Julian Oscillation.

This wave travels around the globe once every 40 or so days and gives a boost to the tropics as it passes over. Recently, a Category 4 typhoon and tropical storm formed in the western Pacific after a cyclone drought similar to what has been seen in the Atlantic.

A​ugust, September and October are the peak months of the Atlantic hurricane season. This is because water temperatures are often at their warmest, wind shear is at its lowest and humidity has increased across the basin.

(​WATCH: Expert Discussion – Watching Hurricane Season)

T​he corridor where this upcoming system will traverse is a common one for storms in August.