A tropical storm watch remained in effect for several Caribbean islands on Monday as tropical cyclone five continued to strengthen and meteorological officials said additional watches or warnings could be required.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that tropical storm watches are in effect for the French island of Guadeloupe, St Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Antigua, Barbuda, and Anguilla as well as Saba and St Eustatius, St Martin and St Barthelemy, Sint Maarten, the British and United States Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

It said interests elsewhere in the north-eastern Caribbean should monitor the progress of the weather system.

“On the forecast track, the disturbance is expected to move across portions of the Leeward Islands on Tuesday [today] and approach the US and British Virgin islands and Puerto Rico this evening,” the NHC added.

The disturbance was expected to become a tropical depression Monday night and become a tropical storm as it neared the Leeward Islands.

The NHC warned that the system is expected to produce total rain accumulations of four to six inches over portions of the Leeward Islands.

Elsewhere in the Caribbean, potential tropical cyclone five is expected to produce the following rain accumulations through Friday morning.