A tropical disturbance that formed Monday off the coast of Guyana and Suriname is expected to reach the western Caribbean late this week. The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday said that it will travel west along the coast of Venezuela, likely crossing the Southern Gulf of Mexico in the direction of Belize and Southern Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula. “Environmental conditions appear conducive for slow development once the wave reaches the western Caribbean late this week,” said forecasters. The system has a 20% chance of formation development in the next seven days. The western Gulf of Mexico generated the 2024 season’s first tropical storm last week.