Another tropical storm could make landfall in Florida next week, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.

Thunderstorms have begun over much of the Caribbean. “It probably won’t be much longer before a tropical rainstorm forms and continues to develop into a tropical storm,” said Bernie Rayno, AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist. The system would be named Tropical Storm Sara.

If the system does not make landfall in Central America and remains in the western Caribbean with warmer waters, it could become a hurricane.

“Not only does this have a significant chance of becoming a hurricane, but it could become a major hurricane very quickly,” said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert. “There are multiple scenarios with this feature in the Caribbean that are linked to the speed of development and are being mapped early on and could impact land areas with landfall and later direct impacts.”

Sara could then head northwest and reach the western Caribbean Sea early next week. As a result, the storm could move near the Yucatán Peninsula or western Cuba and then enter the Gulf of Mexico by Tuesday, November 19.

It is forecast to increase in speed and turn eastward, meaning “a potentially significant hurricane impact” could hit parts of Cuba, the Florida Keys and the southern part of the Florida Peninsula on Wednesday, November 20, according to AccuWeather.

If the storm does make landfall, it could cause flash flooding and strong winds, potentially impacting people’s lives, power and property.

Residents of Central America, southeastern Mexico, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas and Florida are advised to monitor Sara’s evolution in the coming days.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami also monitors the system. “Interests in the western and northwestern Caribbean Seas should monitor the progress of this system. Regardless of the development, heavy rains are expected over Jamaica and parts of Haiti in the coming days,” the NHC notes, adding that there is a 90% chance of formation over the next seven days.

Never miss a story: Sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Although hurricane season averages about seven storms per year, Sara would be the 12th of the season. The news of Sara followed the growing number of fatalities from both Hurricane Helene, which killed at least 230 people, and Hurricane Milton, which killed at least 24 people.

Both storms started in the western Caribbean Sea and then moved toward Florida. Helene, a Category 4 storm, also severely impacted Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Meanwhile, Milton, a Category 3 storm, hit Savannah, Georgia; Tybee Island, Georgia; Hilton Head, S.C.; and Charleston Harbor, SC