Tech: Tropical Storm Nate has already killed 17 people, threatens to hit the Gulf Coast as a hurricane this weekend

Tropical Storm Nate has been blamed for 17 deaths across Central America. Forecasts suggest it could make landfall as a hurricane near New Orleans Sunday.

The storms just keep coming.

Tropical Storm Nate, which formed Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center, is dumping prodigious amounts of rain over parts of Central America.

According to the Associated Press, the storm has already been blamed for 17 deaths across Nicaragua and Costa Rica and is causing dangerous flooding and landslides.

Nate is expected to churn across the Caribbean, picking up strength as it moves over the warm water. The NHC's latest forecast suggests Nate will most likely hit Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, then make landfall as a hurricane somewhere near New Orleans on Sunday.

In preparation, Louisiana officials have ordered residents living along part of the coast east of New Orleans to evacuate, the AP reported.

The biggest question is how strong Nate will get between now and Sunday.

Right now, Nate's tropical-storm-force winds have maximum sustained speeds of 40 mph. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for parts of Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico. Hurricane watches — meaning hurricane conditions may arrive within two days — are in effect for parts of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Nate is expected to pour a total of 15 to 20 inches of rain onto much of Nicaragua, with isolated locations getting 30 inches. Authorities have closed all schools and placed the entire country on alert, according to the AP. In Costa Rica, 5,000 people have fled to emergency shelters.

After Nate crosses the Yucatan, it's projected to move over extremely warm water, which means conditions are ripe for rapid strengthening.

It's hard to predict the exact path and intensity that Nate will have by the time it heads toward the Gulf Coast, especially since the storm is still relatively disorganized.

But Nate adds yet another threat to what has already been an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season. It's the 14th named storm of the season, which doesn't end until late November.

So far this season, we've had eight hurricanes, five of which were major hurricanes — classified as Category 3 or above. If Nate's wind speeds pick up, it will be the ninth.

The western Caribbean, where Nate formed, is one of the main spots to watch for storms at this point in the season, according to Phil Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University. Since 1851, 25% of Atlantic tropical storms, 33% of hurricanes, and 60% of major hurricanes in October formed in that region.

Tropical Storm Nate has been blamed for 17 deaths across Central America. Forecasts suggest it could make landfall as a hurricane near New Orleans Sunday. Read Full Story