A hurricane watch and warnings of storm surges up to 15 feet high were issued Tuesday for almost all of Florida's western coastline as Tropical Storm Helene formed over the Caribbean Sea and headed toward the Gulf Coast.

A storm system could soon become Hurricane Helene, and strike Florida later this week with winds as high as 115 mph.

Hurricane watches have been issued for parts of Cuba, Mexico and part of the Florida coastline, including Tampa Bay.