Tropical storm watches could be issued in the Florida Keys as soon as Monday as Tropical Depression 18 strengthens in the Caribbean Sea. On Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) published an updated forecast path that shows the storm skirting past Jamaica on Tuesday morning, through the Cayman Islands by Tuesday evening and across northwestern Cuba by Wednesday. The storm is expected to pass west of the Florida Keys by Wednesday night as a hurricane. "Interests in the Florida Keys should closely monitor this system as tropical storm watches could be required for portions of these areas later today," the NHC said in its most recent update. A tropical storm warning has been issued for offshore Gulf of Mexico waters, and a small craft advisory is in place around the Florida Keys. The tropical storm alert warned of rain, scattered thunderstorms, and large waves. Rough surf damages the docks at Whale Harbor in the Florida Keys as wind and rain from the outer bands of Hurricane Irma arrive in Islamorada, Florida, on September 9, 2017. A tropical storm watch... Rough surf damages the docks at Whale Harbor in the Florida Keys as wind and rain from the outer bands of Hurricane Irma arrive in Islamorada, Florida, on September 9, 2017. A tropical storm watch could be issued for the Florida Keys as soon as November 4, 2024. More Gaston de Cardenas/Getty The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Key West also published several messages about the incoming storm on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday morning. The biggest concerns from the storm are coastal flooding, with water reaching up to 1 foot higher than high tide, and some squalls, NWS senior forecaster Luis Ingram told Newsweek. Ingram added that rainfall amounts are still uncertain, with forecasts likely to be published on Monday afternoon. There also is a chance at tropical storm-force winds, which are measured between 39 and 73 mph, particularly in the Lower Keys. Winds will arrive on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. "Several thundery squalls with localized wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph Wednesday into Wednesday night, with the highest chances over the lower Florida Keys," the NWS office in Key West said. "Locally heavy rainfall is possible from passing squalls, with some street and poor drainage flooding possible especially in the Tuesday night through Wednesday night time frame." It's uncommon for a tropical storm or hurricane to hit Gulf Coast states in November, given cooling Gulf waters and strong wind shear that tends to rip storms apart before they can make landfall. However, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines previously told Newsweek that Gulf waters are warmer than normal, though the storm could still be shredded by wind shear before it hits the U.S. If the system were to remain organized by the time it reaches Louisiana, it would likely make landfall on Saturday morning. "The system is forecast to enter the Gulf of Mexico later this week, but given significant uncertainties in the long-range forecast track and intensity, it is too soon to determine what, if any, impacts could occur," the most recent NHC update said. \ \ Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground. \ \ \ ';uncommonKnowledgeItems[0].insertAdjacentHTML('afterend',uncommonKnowledgeContainerHtml);let uncommonKnowledgeContainerElement=document.getElementsByClassName('uncommon-knowledge');let itemsContainerElement=document.getElementById('uncommon-knowledge-items-container');uncommonKnowledgeContainerElement[0].style.display='block';uncommonKnowledgeItems.forEach((itemUncommon)=>{document.getElementById('uncommon-knowledge-items-container').insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend','