With a potent storm in the forecast, officials at Cape Lookout National Seashore on North Carolina's Outer Banks are planning to shut down some operations on Friday and possibly Saturday.

According to park officials, Tropical Depression #9 is in the Gulf of Mexico and "getting more organized and could soon be a tropical storm. The National Weather Service is forecasting it to cross the peninsula of Florida into the Atlantic and move along the Southeast U.S. Coast. It will be near Cape Lookout by Friday evening as a strong tropical storm. Very heavy rain and tropical storm force winds are some of the main concerns from this storm."

The storm system also is expected to generate high seas of at least 8 to 15 feet, with dangerous rip currents along all area beaches through the weekend.

On Friday, the Cape Lookout Lighthouse will be closed for tours, and Island Express Ferry Service will cease operations out of Beaufort and Harkers Island. Closures may be extended into Saturday based on the progress of the storm, the park said.

"Depending on storm conditions, Long Point and Great Island Cabin Camps operations may be impacted. Visitors with reservations should be monitoring the weather conditions. If the cabins are closed people with reservations will be notified by email from Recreation.gov," a press release added.

“We are monitoring the track of the storm and decisions will be made to ensure public safety," said Cape Lookout Superintendent Patrick Kenney.

At AccuWeather, meteorologists said that, "How close the storm tracks to the coast will determine how much strength the system maintains. A track just offshore of the Carolinas could allow renewed strengthening. On the other hand, a track just inland through Saturday would cause the storm to weaken, but heavy rain may be unloaded over much of the Carolinas, perhaps spreading to Virginia."