MIAMI (AP) - Tropical storm warnings were issued Saturday for parts of Mexico and Cuba as Ida rapidly gained strength over Caribbean waters, and the storm could start affecting the U.S. Gulf Coast by Tuesday.

A hurricane watch was also issued for part of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

The warnings were issued for parts of the Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba. A tropical storm warning was also in effect for Grand Cayman Island.

A tentative forecast track from the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami shows the storm could hit the U.S. Gulf Coast in the coming days, but forecasters said it was too early to get an accurate picture of what Ida might do.

John Cangialosi, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, said forecasters should know more in the coming days. Cangialosi said as the system moves north across the gulf, it is expected to intersect with a cold front that is moving south, which is complicating projections.

``There's going to be some sort of interaction between the two, but where they interact, and how, and the timing of the thing, that's kind of the big question mark,'' Cangialosi said.

Regardless of how the cold front affects the tropical system, Cangialosi said residents on the north Gulf Coast can expect lots of wind and heavy rain.

Ida was packing winds of 60 mph (95 kmh) and was moving toward the north at about 9 mph (15 kmh). It was centered about 255 miles (410 km) southwest of Cozumel, Mexico.

11/07/09 12:36 © Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.