Downpours are expected in Houston on Friday as a tropical disturbance along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico stalls without strengthening.

The National Hurricane Center on Thursday lowered its forecast chances that a system that had moved over Florida the day previous could develop into the season’s next tropical depression or storm. As of the NHC’s 2 p.

The Florida Panhandle will see heavy rainfall from Invest 93L after it reaches the Gulf on Wednesday. The greatest threat to the area at the moment is flash flooding in low-lying, poor-drainage areas and urban locations. Invest 93L is currently expected to make landfall near Louisiana's southeastern coast Thursday morning.

Depression or no depression, the system could bring several inches of rain to the north-central Gulf Coast, including Alabama, through Friday. The National Weather Service in Mobile thinks that the most rain with this system will likely fall closer to the coast, with scattered storms possible.

With a potential tropical depression in the Gulf and heavy rain in the forecast, all of us at the USA TODAY Network are dedicated to doing everything we can to keep you informed.

A disorganized low-pressure area off Florida is showing increasing chances of becoming a tropical depression or tropical storm this week.

The National Hurricane Center thinks a tropical depression could form in the Gulf in a few days. Forecasters continued to track an area of low pressure that was in the western Atlantic Ocean just east of the Florida peninsula on Tuesday. It is expected to move westward, across the Sunshine State, and into the Gulf by Wednesday.

This is a sped-up view of the radar in the Gulf late Tuesday. Invest 93L is seen crossing Florida. Image: NOAA New Orleans and Jefferson Parish officials are preparing for up to 10 inches of rain as a tropical system heads toward Louisiana.