WASHINGTON — A young tropical system is meandering across the Lesser Antilles with its sights poorly focused on the Bahamas and the east coast.
The fifth tropical system in a so-far benign hurricane season is weakening near the Lesser Antilles. Tropical Storm Erika developed in the open Atlantic early this week but has since struggled to survive amid hostile environmental conditions. Still, the National Hurricane Center expects the system to continue moving northwestward toward Florida and the Southeast.
The storm’s strongest winds barely measure up to a stiff gale but its heavy downpours have led to four deaths in the island nation of Dominica.
Four to 8 inches of rain is expected to fall across the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic where tropical storm warnings are in effect.
The National Hurricane Center expects the storm to remain in a weakened state for the next several days. The highly mountainous terrain of Hispaniola could further disrupt the storm but heavy rain will remain a threat.
Wet and potentially windy weather is becoming increasingly likely for interests in the Bahamas by late Sunday but the storm is expected to remain near or below hurricane strength. A tropical storm watch in effect for the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Beyond the weekend, the storm may have an opportunity to strengthen as it passes over the Gulf Stream. Some projections hint at a landfall along the Florida coast, while others send the circulation up the eastern seaboard toward the Carolinas. Those with plans near the coastline should closely monitor the progress of this storm and stay alert for any future watches or warnings that may be issued.
