Tropical Storm Helene has formed on a path toward Florida, and is expected to bring tropical storm-strength winds and rain to the southeastern U.S. It is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane later this week.

An area of thunderstorms in the Caribbean is expected to develop into Hurricane Helene and rapidly intensify over the exceptionally warm Gulf of Mexico before slamming into the United States’ Gulf Coast later this week as a major hurricane.

Tropical Storm Helene formed on Monday morning and is forecast to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane — Category 3 or higher — when it makes landfall somewhere on Florida’s Gulf coast between Tampa and Panama City late Thursday,

Forecasters warned residents along Florida’s Gulf Coast of potential Hurricane Helene, which is expected to form in the next 48 hours and track toward an area somewhere between Tampa and Pensacola late in the week.