Tropical Storm Michael headed for the Gulf

The depression making its way into the Gulf has been upgraded to a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Now named Tropical Storm Michael, the system moving up from the Caribbean is currently expected to hit western portions of Cuba later tonight – but there’s no indications it’s headed for Texas.

As of mid-afternoon Sunday, the system was off the coast of Mexico near Cozumel, with maximum windspeeds at around 40 mph and some higher gusts.

The storm is predicted to bring heavy rainfall and flashing flooding on the northeastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula in the coming days, forecasters said. By mid-week, there will be a growing risk of storm surge and heavy rain in the northern Gulf Coast area.

Current projections suggest the storm – which was nearly stationary just after noon on Sunday – is headed to the Florida Panhandle.

An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is headed out to investigate further.