Erin is the fifth named storm to develop during the Atlantic hurricane season, which started just over two months ago. Last week, Tropical Storm Dexter formed in the western Atlantic but didn't pose a threat to land. In early July, Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall on the Carolina coast, bringing deadly flooding to the region.

A tropical disturbance along the Gulf could develop into a depression before moving into South Texas and northeastern Mexico Friday evening. Any development into a depression would likely be "short-lived," the National Weather Service said.

Tropical Storm Erin is approaching Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, bringing heavy rains that could cause flooding and landslides.

Tropical Storm Erin -- which is forecast to strengthen into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season by Saturday morning -- won't have a direct impact on the U.S., but it will bring dangerous rip currents to the East Coast.

Extreme rainfall in New Zealand from future cyclones could rise by up to 35%. New high-resolution modeling predicts that rainfall from tropical cyclones will significantly increase under global warming.

The black rainstorm signal was raised at 7:50am on Thursday, as Tropical Cyclone Podul closed in. It is the fifth time the signal has been hoisted in a fortnight. The T1 storm signal has remained in force since Wednesday morning.