The tropical system in the western Caribbean may not look like much yet, but don’t be fooled. History has shown the Gulf of Mexico can be a pressure cooker, turning systems like this one from wimpy windstorms to devastating monster storms almost overnight under the right conditions.

Thunderstorms in the Caribbean are expected to develop into Hurricane Helene and rapidly intensify over the Gulf of Mexico before slamming into the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane. CNN’s Chad Myers reports.