A tropical depression has formed near Cuba, and it could become Tropical Storm Debby by tonight as it tracks northward into the Gulf of Mexico.

But could it become a hurricane?

That possibility was real as of Saturday morning, and the National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch for Florida’s Big Bend region.

The hurricane center is forecasting the potential Debby to head into the eastern Gulf of Mexico today, and it could make landfall later this weekend or even Monday on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The forecast landfall time period is later than earlier forecasts, which means the storm could have more time to strengthen over the very warm waters of the Gulf. That has led to the intensity forecast being increased as well.

The hurricane center said its official intensity forecast doesn’t show the storm reaching the 74 mph wind threshold and becoming a hurricane, but some forecast models are suggesting that will happen, which is why hurricane watches have been issued.

Tropical storm warnings and watches also stretched along the western coast of Florida’s peninsula and into the big Bend region as of Saturday morning.

There is also a storm surge watch in effect for Florida, and the potential for storm surge has increased as of Saturday morning. Now 3 to 5 feet of surge will be possible in some areas along the coast.

The forecast for rain has increased as well and now 5 to 10 inches with isolated amounts of 15 inches will be possible in parts of Florida and the southeast U.S. over the next several days.

The depression is what was formerly Potential Tropical Cyclone Four. It got more organized overnight and was ruled to have tropical depression features early on Saturday by the hurricane center.

It had winds of 30 mph. Its winds need to be at least 39 mph for it to become Tropical Storm Debby, and the hurricane center thinks that could happen later today or tonight.

As of 7 a.m. CDT Saturday, Tropical Depression Four was located about 170 miles south of Key West, Fla., and was tracking to the west-northwest at 16 mph.

The hurricane center said that on the forecast track the storm will cross over western Cuba this morning and then head northward into the eastern Gulf later today and into Sunday.

It is expected to reach Florida’s coast late Sunday or Monday — which is later than earlier forecasts, which had the storm making landfall a bit further east and anywhere from Saturday night into Sunday morning.

The storm is forecast to cross over north Florida and southern Georgia and emerge into the western Atlantic Ocean near the Georgia or South Carolina coasts. It could then track northward along the Southeast U.S. coast through next week.

Here are the watches and warnings — all for Florida — as of Saturday morning:

* A Hurricane Watch is in effect from the Aucilla River to Yankeetown.

* A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Dry Tortugas, the west coast of the Florida peninsula from south of Yankeetown to East Cape Sable.

* A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Florida Keys south of the Channel 5 Bridge and from west of the Aucilla River to the Ochlockonee River.

* A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from Bonita Beach northward to the Aucilla River, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.

ANY CONCERNS FOR ALABAMA?

The National Weather Service in Mobile continued to watch the storm on Saturday, but there were no watches or warnings in effect for Alabama’s coastal areas.

However, forecasters urged those along the coast to keep a close eye on the forecast through the weekend in case the forecast track changes.

If the forecast track stays the same then Alabama’s coast will be on what’s sometimes called the “dry” side of the system and could possibly not see much rain at all as it nears the coast.

“We will likely end up on the western side leading to no impacts expected outside of drier conditions and likely increased temperatures,” weather service forecasters said a Saturday morning forecast discussion.

Southeast Alabama could get some wind and rain from the storm, depending on its eventual track, as it makes landfall in Florida, but there were no watches or warnings in effect for that region either as of Saturday morning.

The storm will churn up the Gulf over the weekend, and the weather service is forecasting the risk of rip currents to increase from low to moderate on Sunday. Here is the rip current forecast: