Tropical Storm Marie could bring rain to Southern California on Labor Day weekend, but most impacts likely to drift away from land

The tropical storm heading in Southern California's direction has a new name, but is still unlikely to cause damage to the region, according to meteorologists.

Tropical Storm Marie was about 1,300 miles southeast of San Diego in the Pacific Ocean as of Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. It's expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Thursday before weakening again on Saturday.

While that "hurricane" title could cause panic in Southern California and Baja California, residents can relax, according to forecasts.

"Will [Marie] make landfall in Southern California? Very likely not," said CBS LA Chief Meteorologist Paul Deanno. "Will there be impacts in Southern California? Very likely yes. Those chances have actually increased."

Those impacts Deanno mentioned would be in the form of abnormally high humidity ahead of the weekend, rough surf and tropical rain starting Saturday. 

The likelihood of potential Hurricane Marie making landfall in North America has actually decreased since Monday, models show. The storm is predicted to continue drifting to the northwest, away from land, providing it with little more than a rinsing.

"Forecast details are still uncertain but a majority of ensemble members indicate periods of (generally) light precipitation for the weekend, although brief periods of locally heavier precipitation cannot be ruled out if [thunderstorms] develop," the NWS said.

Skies are likely to dry up by Tuesday of next week, forecasts say.