Tropical Storm Erika develops in mid-Atlantic

Another public advisory will be issued at 11 a.m. today.

Erika is expected to remain a tropical storm and some strengthening is expected as it moves quickly to the west.

As of 5 p.m., Erika was 605 miles east of Antigua with 40 mph winds. At this point, we’ll need to watch its positioning on the map.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…

The top maximum sustained wind speed for Danny was 115 miles per hour, which was recorded Friday afternoon.

It’s too early to tell if Erika will affect Florida.

“There is a lot of uncertainty”, Kottlowski said. “I think there is a chance this could come right into southeastern Florida early next week”.

Erika is expected to produce total rain accumulations of two to four inches over numerous Leeward Islands through Thursday. While this may sound menacing, the storm will be approaching an area of strong shear that will be moving through the Gulf of Mexico at that time and across Florida.

Here are the latest computer model forecasts…

The future of Erika and the track it takes will depend on how much it can get its act together in the short term. The remnants of Tropical Storm Danny were near Puerto Rico. A weaker, slower storm would likely continue a track more to the south, said Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate with the University of Miami’s Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

The storm was moving in a western direction at 20mph, said the National Hurricane Centre. Also, if Erika can thread its way through the islands, which can rip at its structure, and arrive in the Bahamas on Saturday or Sunday, it may reach a part of the ocean where conditions are better. 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.

The Meteorological Service of Curacao has issued a Tropical Storm Warning for Saba and St. Eustatius.