FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Tropical Storm Matthew quickly emerged in the southwest Caribbean on Thursday afternoon and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Sunday.

At 5 p.m. EDT, Matthew, the 13th named storm of the season, was about 435 miles east of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, moving west at 16 mph with sustained winds of 40 mph. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for portions of the Nicaraguan and Honduran borders.

The long-range forecast, subject to large error, calls for the system to hit near the Nicaragua-Honduras border as a tropical storm either late on Friday or on Saturday.

Then it is expected to briefly re-emerge in the Caribbean, strengthen into a hurricane, brush the coast of Belize and make a sharp right turn toward the Gulf of Mexico.

From there, it could pose a threat to western Cuba as well as any of the Gulf states, including Florida. Matthew threatens to produce 6 to 10 inches of rain in Central America, which could result in flash floods, the National Hurricane Center said.

Lisa, meanwhile, regained tropical storm status on Thursday afternoon while meandering in the eastern Atlantic. It is forecast to remain a tropical storm for the next two days and then fizzle.