As Tropical Storm Oscar heads toward the Bahamas, meteorologists are monitoring an area of ​​the Caribbean for activity that could become Tropical Storm Patty next week.

AccuWeather published a report on the threat on Monday, noting that the report covered an advanced risk development zone in the Caribbean that could provide the right conditions for the formation of Tropical Storm Patty next week.

“We suspect another attempt to develop a tropical depression or tropical storm in the western Caribbean will occur by the middle of next week,” Bernie Rayno, AccuWeather’s chief on-air meteorologist, said in the report.

The AccuWeather report says storms that form in this region in late October or early November typically impact Central America or curve north-northeast toward Cuba, Hispaniola and the Bahamas. If the storm follows this latter path, it could cause even more damage to Cuba, which was battered by rain and wind from Tropical Storm Oscar on Sunday evening. The most recent update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) stated that Oscar’s maximum sustained winds were 40 miles per hour, and that the storm would continue to cause life-threatening flooding in parts of Cuba throughout the week.

As for possible Tropical Storm Patty, it is still too early to determine its direct path. The NHC has not yet made a prediction about the potential threat. AccuWeather senior meteorologist Carl Erickson said Newsweek that the storm is unlikely to target the US

The new tropical threat comes just weeks after Florida saw back-to-back major hurricanes, first with Hurricane Helene in late September, and then with Hurricane Milton nearly two weeks later, both of which underwent rapid intensification before making landfall. Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane before moving inland and wreaking havoc across the southeastern U.S., especially North Carolina. Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane before barreling across the Sunshine State.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season runs through November. AccuWeather meteorologists warned that water temperatures in the Caribbean remain warm, which could provide energy for future tropical systems that form there. Combined with low wind shear, meteorologists said Patty could form, albeit slowly, like Nadine and Oscar.

In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a forecast predicting 17 to 25 named storms with winds of 42 miles per hour or higher. In August, the agency adjusted its forecast slightly and now expects 17 to 24 this season.

As of Monday, there have been 15 named storms this hurricane season.