MIAMI (CMC):

Weather forecasters in Miami say a tropical wave moving towards the northern Caribbean is showing signs of organisation and could become a tropical depression by today.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said a United States Air Force reconnaissance aircraft is scheduled to fly over the westward-moving system later today, if necessary.

Forecasters said the tropical wave, centred near Anguilla, has become better organised and could develop into a tropical depression as it heads towards the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Heavy rain

They said the system has a 'high' probability of formation, stating that even if it doesn't grow, the area of disturbed weather is likely to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti late today.

After that, forecasters said, the system could track northwest towards the Turks and Caicos and The Bahamas by tomorrow night.

Weather forecasters said the latest forecast models show the system taking a northern turn later this weekend that would keep it east of Florida's coast, but that longer-term forecast is subject to change.

They said the system would be declared a tropical depression if it develops the telltale counter- clockwise, closed-circulation rotation and produces maximum winds of 38 miles per hour. A depression becomes a named tropical storm when its sustained winds reach at least 39 miles per hour.

Forecasters said many computer models have the system approaching The Bahamas and then making a northerly turn off the east coast of Florida early next week. But they said those models could change.