Nate is downgraded to a tropical depression after making US landfall twice

Nate is expected to become a hurricane before it reaches the northern Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters caution that the strength and category of a storm are not necessarily reflective of the damage it can cause, as heavy rainfall and storm surge can be destructive even without extreme winds.

Nate adds yet another threat to what has already been an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season. It's the 14th named storm of the season, which doesn't end until late November.

So far this season, we've had eight hurricanes, five of which were major hurricanes — classified as Category 3 or above. If Nate's wind speeds pick up, it will be the ninth.

The western Caribbean, where Nate formed, is one of the main spots to watch for storms at this point in the season, according to Phil Klotzbach, a meteorologist at Colorado State University. Since 1851, 25% of Atlantic tropical storms, 33% of hurricanes, and 60% of major hurricanes in October have formed in that region.