Hurricane season is nearing, and a tropical storm called Ida is gathering steam off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. According to a report from NOLA.com, forecasters predict that the storm may become a hurricane as soon as this Saturday.

Ida had a maximum sustained wind speed of 50 mph at 4am, and was just over a thousand miles east of the northern Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. The storm was moving northwest at a speed of 8mph. The forecast calls for Ida to gain steam through Saturday, but it will likely remain far from shore, posing little threat to coastal communities.

According to hurricane specialist Stacy Stewart, “A significant increase in the amount and organization of deep convection has occurred during the past six hours.” She revealed that Ida’s low-level circulation center wasn’t situated in the center of the primary mass of storm clouds, which means that vertically blowing wind was likely preventing the storm from growing too big.

The storm also appears to be slowing its advance northwest, according to satellite data that indicates a ridge of high pressure to the north acting as a barrier. Now, the storm is nearly stationary. It is expected to remain in the western part of this pressure trough until Wednesday, where it will switch directions and begin heading due north.