The National Hurricane Center has initiated forecasts and advisories for Tropical Storm Fernand.

Early Tuesday, the system has organized enough to be considered a tropical depression. With the NHC's midday update, estimated maximum sustained winds of 40mph were found near the center of circulation, meriting a name for this tropical system.

Fernand is forecast to maintain its tropical storm strength as it moves slowly west-northwest through the middle of the week.

While a few showers are not ruled out along the Texas Coast Tuesday, impacts to Texas are expected to be minimal, if at all. Higher tides and rip currents will be an issue for those directly on the coast.

The storm will spend the next 24 to 36 hours moving west or west-northwest toward the Northeast Coast of Mexico. A tropical storm warning is in place from La Pesca to Barra El Mezquital.

Flooding could become an issue for Northeast Mexico: 6 to 12 inches, with isolated 15 inches, are possible - highest in the Sierra Madre Oriental of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon. 2 to 4 inches with localized 6 inch rain totals are possible for parts of South Texas and the Lower Texas Coast.