Tropical Storm Erika approaching the Leeward Islands

The storm is 605 miles (975 kilometres) east of Antigua and moving quickly westward, the National Hurricane Center said yesterday. According to the NHC, these announcements are given when sustained winds of 39 to 73 miles per hour are thought to be possible because of a storm that would occur within around 48 hours.

With a hurricane lurking near the East Coast, it’s wise to stay up with the forecast over the next several days.

The next hurricane advisory will be issued at 11 a.m.

Two of the top computer models meteorologists use to forecast weather show vastly different predictions for Erika. Conditions are only marginally favorable for development with this feature at the present time, but it too will be watched closely in the coming days.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…

Florida is in the cone of uncertainty.

It follows closely on the heels of the former Tropical Storm Danny, which at its peak was a Category 3 hurricane. For now it appears that wind shear will begin to impact Erika and that will likely stop the strengthening and could cause weakening by the end of the week.

At the beginning of the season, forecasters said the odds of Florida getting hit by a hurricane this season were lower than usual.

“If I lived in West Palm Beach right now, I would be kind of concerned”, said AccuWeather hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski.

The current forecast track says that the storm may split into a stronger Erika that will take a north-west route, whereas the weaker Erika may follow a west-south course. The official 5-day forecast shows Erika taking a northwesterly course and sliding just north of Puerto Rico by early Friday morning. If that system continues to get more organised, it could be another named storm by late Monday. That means the hurricane will strengthen considerably.