Tropical Storm Nate is expected to become Hurricane Nate today, and should make landfall somewhere on the Central Gulf Coast this weekend.

Forecasters in the National Hurricane Center say the threat of direct impacts from wind, storm surge, and heavy rainfall is increasing from Louisianan through the western Florida Panhandle. Hurricane and tropical storm watches, as well as a storm surge watch, have been issued for a portion of the northern Gulf Coast, and residents in these areas should monitor the progress of Nate, forecasters said in their 10 p.m. CDT briefing Thursday.

The storm was expected to dump heavy rain on portions of Central America, with life-threatening flash flooding and mud slides possible. Nate should near hurricane intensity when it approaches the Yucatan Peninsula late Friday, moving into the Gulf of Mexico where warm waters often intensify storms.

Tropical storm force winds could arrive to the coast as early as late Saturday afternoon or early Saturday evening.