The National Hurricane Center says hurricane and storm surge watches have been issued for parts of Florida's Gulf Coast, including the Tampa Bay area, ahead of Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine which is expected to become the season's next named hurricane.

The NHC issued a cone Monday showing where forecast models expect the system to move. The Tampa Bay area is within the cone of uncertainty.

PTC 9 is expected to "strengthen significantly" over the next few days, becoming a hurricane by Wednesday. When the system gets a name, it'll be Helene.

As of the latest advisory, PTC 9 is about 120 miles west-southwest of Grand Cayman. It's moving northwest at 8 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour.

Tropical storm warnings and hurricane watches have been issued for parts of Florida, Mexico and Cuba. A tropical storm watch has been issued for the lower Florida Keys, south of the Seven Mile Bridge.

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