THE TAKEAWAY 

Potential Tropical Cyclone Five has been designated in the Gulf on Monday morning, threatening heavy rain and flash flooding across parts of Louisiana and Texas, raising flash flood concerns.

Formerly Invest 97L, the "Potential Tropical Cyclone" designation allows the National Hurricane Center to issue timely watches and warnings for land areas before a system has officially become a fully closed tropical depression or storm.

LATEST FROM FOX WEATHER HURRICANE SPECIALIST BRYAN NORCROSS 

If the storms do not completely fizzle out this afternoon, we'll likely see the upgrade to a tropical depression or perhaps even Edouard.

Regardless, the system is expected to reach the Texas or Louisiana coast late Monday or Tuesday, bringing the potential for heavy rain and thunderstorms.

The Houston Metro could be in the bullseye for at least 3 to 5 inches of rain from the system as it moves inland slowly on Tuesday. 

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The Weather Prediction Center has added a Level 2 out of 4 flood threat that includes Houston.

Additionally, coastal flooding could play a major role and depending on how quickly the disturbance moves inland, there could be flooding well north of Houston on Wednesday, the FOX Forecast Center said.