KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Hurricane Center says it is now monitoring two systems that could develop over the next two days and become the first named storms of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially starts June 1.

Of the two systems, the most likely to become a storm is a non-tropical low-pressure area centred about 450 miles east-northeast of Bermuda, which the NHC said has become better organised during the past several hours.

It has a 90 per cent chance of developing subtropical storm characteristics as early as this weekend, as it moves west to west-southwest toward the northeast of Bermuda.

While the system has the potential of strengthening into Tropical Storm Ana or Bill, forecasters warned that it could be hindered by less conducive conditions once it moves northeastward into a more hostile environment by Saturday night or Sunday.

Meanwhile, the NHC said a second, disorganised system is forming in the Gulf of Mexico along the Texas coast and has a 40 per cent chance of development over the next two days.

“Environmental conditions are expected to be marginally conducive for development, and a short-lived tropical depression or storm could form before the disturbance moves inland over the northwestern Gulf coast tonight. “Regardless of development, the system could produce heavy rainfall over portions of southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana during the next few days,” it said.