The National Hurricane Center is monitoring a low-pressure system forming in the Caribbean and moving into the Gulf of Mexico, which could develop into a tropical storm.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact across the Southeastern United States, the confirmed death toll has risen to 182, spanning six states. Reports indicate that Florida has seen two additional fatalities, contributing to the tragic numbers.

As of now, Helene stands as the second-deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland in the last half-century, following Hurricane Katrina, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths in 2005.

Here’s the latest breakdown of fatalities by state:

• North Carolina: 95
• South Carolina: 39
• Georgia: 25
• Florida: 19
• Tennessee: 9
• Virginia: 2

While the Associated Press reports at least 178 fatalities and The New York Times counts at least 176, officials indicate that the number of missing persons due to flash flooding could be in the hundreds as rescue operations continue in North Carolina and other affected areas.

As Floridians brace for a potential tropical system, meteorologists from AccuWeather warn that residents should prepare for heavy rainfall and wind in the coming week. 

“We anticipate that a low-pressure area will develop over southern Mexico and the Bay of Campeche this weekend, leading to tropical activity in the southern Gulf of Mexico early next week,” said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Bernie Rayno. “This system may begin moving toward Florida by Tuesday or Wednesday.”

Though the risk of another catastrophic event like Helene is low, residents should remain vigilant for potential flooding and heavy rain.

Currently, over 1.3 million people are still without power due to the storm, with significant outages reported across multiple states: approximately 492,000 in South Carolina, nearly 391,000 in North Carolina, about 365,000 in Georgia, 45,000 in Virginia, and more than 42,000 in Florida, according to PowerOutage.us.