Hurricane Season Updates: Tracking potential Tropical Storm Ophelia off Florida coast

A tropical storm warning was issued Thursday for parts of the eastern seaboard, as a potential tropical cyclone has formed off of Florida's Atlantic coast with current maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.

A potential tropical cyclone (PTC) is a disturbance that isn’t yet a tropical cyclone — which has maximum sustained winds of 39 mph — but threatens to bring tropical storm or hurricane conditions to land within 48 hours. It also allows the National Hurricane Center to issue watches and warnings.

The current disturbance is forecast to strengthen to Tropical Storm Ophelia as it approaches the North Carolina coast Friday night into early Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

No matter what the storm system is called, forecasters are expecting tropical storm conditions of rain, wind, coastal flooding and rip current conditions. Two-to-four inches of rainfall from the storm is also expected throughout the mid-Atlantic region, from North Carolina to New Jersey.

Tropical storm warnings issued:

Cape Fear, N.C. to Fenwick Island, Del.

Chesapeake Bay south of Smith Point, Virginia

Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, North Carolina

This means that tropical storm conditions are expected anywhere within the warning area in the next 36 hours.

Storm surge watches issued:

Surf City, N.C. to Chincoteague, Va.

Chesapeake Bay south of Smith Point, Virginia

Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, North Carolina

This means there's a possibility of a life-threatening inundation of water moving inland from the coastline during the next 48 hours in the watch areas listed.

Other storm systems churning in the Atlantic and Pacific

Hurricane Nigel: The Category 1 storm — with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph — was 505 miles southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland in the Atlantic as of WHEN?. Nigel is forecast to weaken over the next day or two and become a post-tropical cyclone either Thursday night or early Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of early Thursday afternoon, no coastal watches or warnings were in effect for Hurricane Nigel.

Disturbance 2: In the eastern Atlantic, just west of the Cape Verde islands, is a tropical wave, or an area of low pressure in the atmosphere, moving west from Africa into the Atlantic.

A majority — or 85% — of all tropical storm developments can trace their origins to tropical waves, which typically run north to south, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski.

“Environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for gradual development of this system,” the National Hurricane Center said of Disturbance 2. “A tropical depression is likely to form this weekend or early next week while the system moves westward at 10 to 15 mph.”

Read more on Yahoo News: Heard of a tropical wave? Here's what you need to know, from AccuWeather

Tropical Storm Kenneth: Meanwhile in the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Kenneth was about 1,090 miles west-southwest from the southern tip of Baja California as of Thursday morning local time. That storm is moving northwest slowly, at 8 mph, and is expected to continue moving north into Saturday.

As of Thursday morning, no coastal watches or warnings were in effect for Kenneth.