Tropical Depression Ida spun over Nicaragua and Honduras on Friday, then moved back out over Caribbean waters, where it could regain some of its strength as it moves toward the Gulf of Mexico, according to forecasters.

Strong winds and heavy surf are possible along the Alabama coast early next week as the storm approaches, forecasters said.

With Ida and a cold front closing in, the Mobile area can also expect good chances for showers and thunderstorms, with the best chances coming Monday into Tuesday, forecasts indicate.

At 9 p.m. Friday, the center of Tropical Depression Ida was located near latitude 16.2 north, longitude 84.0 west, or about 110 miles east-northeast of Limon, Honduras. It was moving north at 7 mph, and had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. Forecasters said Ida would likely regain tropical storm strength over the weekend.

Projections called for Ida to enter the Gulf early next week, but weaken once cooler waters and wind shear take their toll.

While there remained some uncertainty about Ida's strength and exact track, the hurricane center called for Ida to pass over or just east of the Yucatan Peninsula, then move into the Gulf to about 225 miles south-southeast of Mobile by Tuesday afternoon with winds near 50 mph. Ida is expected to then make a hard turn to the east and gradually lose its tropical characteristics.

High pressure over the Southeast should loosen its grip and allow a cold front to move through the region early next week, according to David Eversole, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Mobile.

Eversole said there were computer forecast models that hinted Ida would track farther west, while another model took it east, south of Cuba. But if Ida tracks as projected, the front and trough should allow Ida to work its way into the central to north-central Gulf. Then, another high pressure system should move in behind the front, helping to shove Ida eastward, according to Eversole.

"And it's a strong one," Eversole said of the high-pressure system. "It's not going to let Ida come near here."

As Ida draws near the Gulf Coast, interaction with high pressure could result in gusty winds and heavy surf along the Alabama coast from late Sunday through Tuesday night, along with above-normal tides, he said. Easterly winds could cause minor coastal flooding along east-facing shorelines, including the western shore of Mobile Bay, he said.

Ida, which moved ashore in Nicaragua as a hurricane on Thursday, quickly lost strength as it headed inland. The storm smashed dozens of flimsy dwellings and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes in sparsely populated eastern Nicaragua. Bridges, schools and electrical transmission towers were damaged, but no deaths were reported.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)