Conditions look favorable for a broad area of low pressure in the central Caribbean Sea to become a tropical depression in the next day or two.

Tropical Depression 18 is expected to develop into a hurricane this week as it moves northwest across the Caribbean and into the Gulf of Mexico. National Weather Service Lake Charles Storm Warning Coordinator Doug Cramer said once the system moves into the Gulf Coast it is expected to weaken.

A tropical depression is likely to form as a tropical wave moves westward into the western Caribbean Sea later this week, the National Hurricane Center said.