Miami , Florida ( CNN ) -- A weather system moving over the southern Bahamas has been upgraded to a tropical storm , with sustained winds now reported at 40 miles an hour , as it heads toward the southern tip of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico . The system has been named Tropical Storm Bonnie . At 11 p.m . ET , it was moving northwest at 14 miles an hour as it approached the northwestern Bahamas , according to the National Hurricane Center . It could pick up strength as it moves over the long stretch of open water in the Gulf of Mexico , but the latest computer models do not show it becoming a hurricane , according to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers . Forecasters had predicted that it would cross over central Florida , but the models now show it passing farther south , over the Florida Keys or the Straits of Florida and then into the Gulf . The storm is expected to pass the southern tip of Florida on Friday afternoon and then make landfall Sunday between New Orleans and the Beaumont-Port Arthur area in southeastern Texas . Myers said it 's more likely to bear down on Louisiana . And on that path , it could push oil in the Gulf from the BP oil spill to shore . But at this point , no oil has spilled into the Gulf for the past seven days , with BP 's crippled well contained with a cap that appears to be bearing up under `` integrity '' tests . BP 's chief operating officer , Doug Suttles , said Thursday that skimmers had been able to recover only 56 barrels of oil the day before , because that 's all they could find . With the weather turning bad , BP has suspended work on a relief well to permanently seal the damaged well . And late Thursday , the federal official overseeing the effort , retired Adm. Thad Allen , ordered ships in the area to come to shore . That could delay operations at the well site for 10 to 14 days . But Allen said there 's enough confidence in the well that it will be left capped and closed during the rough weather . Ships used to skim oil off the surface are likely to have to come ashore as well . Currently , 215 are operating off the coast of Louisiana . Louisiana Gov . Bobby Jindal has issued an emergency declaration , intended to speed state help to parishes that need it , when the storm hits . He said mandatory evacuations are not expected , but parishes might call for voluntary evacuations in some low-lying areas . The weather system is drenching the Bahamas and has caused flooding in Puerto Rico , Haiti and the Dominican Republic . Tropical storm warnings have been issued for Florida 's east coast , from Golden Beach south to the Keys , and along the west coast , northward to Bonita Beach . In Monroe County , Florida , which comprises the Keys , officials warned boaters to secure their vessels and remain in port until winds and seas subside . They warned drivers to use extreme caution on the Overseas Highway , especially on exposed bridges . The hurricane center predicted that the storm would bring 2 to 4 inches of rain to south Florida , with isolated areas receiving as much as 6 inches . The central and northwest Bahamas are likely to receive slightly more , the hurricane center said . CNN 's Anna Rhett Miller contributed to this report .
Louisiana declares emergency as storm approaches . Thad Allen orders ships at BP well site to shore . The U.S. Coast Guard says it will be ready for the storm. Latest computer models show the storm moving into the Gulf of Mexico .