Tropical cyclone may form in Gulf of Mexico: NHC

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A tropical cyclone could form during the next day or two as a tropical disturbance moves westward across Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a report Wednesday.

A weak surface low pressure area along the Florida East Coast and an upper level low were producing a large area of disturbed weather over the western Atlantic, the NHC said in a report at 11:30 a.m. EDT.

Four out of five weather models show the storm either remaining within Florida or crossing it and entering the Gulf of Mexico before striking the Florida Panhandle over the next few days.

The other model shows the storm crossing the Gulf and hitting Louisiana in a few days.

Earlier Wednesday, four out of five models showed the storm crossing Florida, entering the oil rich Gulf and striking Louisiana and Mississippi over the next few days.

The energy market watches for tropical storms because they can disrupt U.S. oil and natural gas production and refining if the storms enter the Gulf of Mexico.

Commodities traders also track tropical storms because they can damage citrus crops in Florida and such crops as cotton along the Gulf Coast.

The NHC will name the next tropical storm Jerry. A tropical storm packs winds of 39 to 73 miles per hour.

Elsewhere, the NHC said it did not expect any tropical cyclones to form during the next 48 hours.