Hurricane watches were issued Wednesday afternoon for part of the Louisiana Gulf Coast as an unnamed tropical system is expected to gain strength.

As of 4 p.m. CT, the storm which is being called for now "potential tropical cyclone two," was located 255 miles south east of Morgan City, Louisiana. With maximum sustained winds of 30 MPH, the system has not attained tropical depression status.

The National Hurricane Center said it expects the system to become a depression tonight and a tropical storm tomorrow. The next named storm in the Atlantic will be Barry.

By Saturday afternoon, the storm is expected to be a hurricane as it approaches the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

The forecast cone still keeps open the possibility the storm slides to the west, giving the Upper Texas Coast a direct hit.

The hurricane watch goes from the Mouth of the Mississippi River westward to Cameron Louisiana.

Due to the slow movement of the disturbance, heavy rainfall is already occurring along the Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center said that 6 to 9 inches of rain have already fallen in New Orleans.