(The Center Square) – Southeastern coastlines of the United States are alert for the potential of Hurricane Erin as the first of the season in the Atlantic Basin.

The National Hurricane Center on Monday morning has forecast what is known as Invest 97L of becoming a tropical depression or storm during the day. The seven-day cyclone formation chance is 90%, according to the NWS in Miami, Fla.

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Use of “invest” in the naming at this stage is short for investigation.

This cluster of rainfall and gusty winds is projected to move west to northwest across the Atlantic. Forecasters say it is too early to determine if any impact on the East Coast is to be expected.

Rough surf and rip currents, however, are likely by the weekend and into early next week regardless of potential landfall.

The Atlantic hurricane season opened June 1 and runs to Nov. 30. Average formation date for the season’s first is Aug. 11.

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Last year, three hurricanes in 66 days landed in Florida. The season’s worst damage was from one of them, Helene, that landed near Dekle Beach, Fla., on Sept. 26 and traveled into western North Carolina on Sept. 27.

The Tarheel State is in its 46th week of recovery from the storm that killed 107 and did an estimated $60 billion damage. Across seven states, Helene killed 236.