At a Glance

A tropical disturbance dubbed Invest 94L is located over the northwestern Bahamas.It has become better organized on Monday, and there is a chance it could become a tropical depression near or east of Florida.A surge of moisture from it will fuel heavy downpours in Florida.

This article is no longer being updated. Tropical Depression Three formed in the Bahamas on Monday afternoon. Please click here to follow our latest coverageon the tropical depression.

A tropical disturbance located over the northwestern Bahamas is being monitored for possible development into a tropical depression and will send a surge of moisture to Florida early this week, fueling showers and thunderstorms.

The area of disturbed weather has been dubbed Invest 94L by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). That's a naming convention used to identify locations in the Atlantic that the NHC is tracking for possible tropical development.

(MORE: Invests Explained)

The NHC says Invest 94L has a medium chance of developing into a tropical depression through early Tuesday as it moves near or east of the Florida Peninsula. Satellite imagery shows this system has become better organized on Monday.

National Hurricane Center Tropical Outlook

(The potential area of tropical development according to the latest National Hurricane Center outlook is shown by a polygon, color-coded by the chance of development over the next five days. An "X" indicates the location of a current disturbance.)

Regardless of development, a surge of tropical moisture will accompany Invest 94L as it curves northward near and east of southeastern Florida. That will help increase thunderstorm activity in the Sunshine State through midweek, particularly in eastern portions of the peninsula.

Heavy downpours, gusty winds and frequent lightning could accompany those storms later Monday through Tuesday.

Rainfall Forecast

(Locally heavier amounts are possible.)

Later this week, a front stalling near the Southeast coast will likely absorb Invest 94L or help to steer it out to sea.

Chantal will be the name used for the next tropical storm that develops in the Atlantic Basin this season.