An unorganized storm system moving slowly from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Mexico may not have hurricane strength at the moment, but it does have the attention of meteorologists and emergency personnel.

And, it should have the attention of those living in states lining the central gulf coast, including Alabama. Early computer models — which normally show a wide variety of possible tracts — seem to all show the storm targeting the Mississippi and Alabama coast lines.

Jim Westland, a meteorologist at National Weather Service in Birmingham, said the system is something the NWS is watching, but not overly concerned with at the moment.

“It’s really nothing to talk about yet; it’s not even a named tropical storm,” Westland said. “Right now it’s just an area of disturbed weather in the Caribbean that we are watching closely.”

Westland said he has heard reports a weather reconnaissance airplane would be traveling through the storm within the next day or two to collect information about the system’s strength and direction that can’t be more accurately detected through ground-based or satellite monitoring systems.

“This systems is being continuously monitored because it could change its behavior in a matter of just a few hours,” Westland said.

While the storm currently lacks the winds of a hurricane — or even a tropical storm — Westland said there is a chance that this system could bring rain to the region during the upcoming weekend.

“I wouldn’t call it a likelihood, but there is a chance that even if it doesn’t develop as a tropical cyclone that it will spread moisture into the northern Gulf and perhaps into Alabama. If it remains disorganized and continues to track this way, it looks like the moisture would get to our region most likely on Sunday,” Westland said. “Even if it doesn’t develop as a tropical storm, this will be a rainmaker any way. So people should pay more attention to flooding concerns than wind concerns.”

Dallas County Emergency Management director Rhonda Abbott said that a rainmaking storm like this should have the attention of area residents, especially those living in areas more likely to flood during heavy downpours.

“If you are in a flood-prone area, just watch the water around you and know what is going on and just be careful,” Abbott said.

Abbot said her department would be keeping an eye on weather reports and would be in contact with the NWS throughout the week.

“We typically get all of our information through the National Weather Service,” Abbott said. “If this was a large hurricane, we would be taking aggressive action to prepare, but this system looks to be just a rain situation.

“It’s there and we know it’s coming.”