Good Chance Disorganized TS Erika Degenerates Into Depression
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Tropical Storm Erika, which is very disorganized, could degenerate into a tropical depression by Saturday.
As of 11 p.m., the center of the system was located about 40 miles west of Port Au Prince, Haiti and about 145 miles southeast of the eastern tip of Cuba. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour.
Erika is moving toward the west near 20 miles per hour, and this general motion is expected to continue with a decrease in forward speed during the next 48 hours.
On the forecast track, the center of Erika will move over the Gulf of Gonave early Saturday and will be near the southeastern Bahamas or eastern Cuba on Saturday afternoon.
Weakening is forecast and Erika could become a tropical depression on Saturday. There is a good possibility that Erika could even degenerate into a trough of low pressure while it is moving over the high terrain of Hispaniola and eastern Cuba.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:
* Dominican Republic
* Haiti
* Southeastern Bahamas
* Turks and Caicos Islands
* Central Bahamas
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:
* Northwestern Bahamas
* The Cuban Provinces of Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin and Guantanamo
The southern Florida Peninsula and Florida Keys, as well as eastern and central Cuba, should monitor the progress of Erika. Additional watches and warnings could be needed for these areas on Saturday after Erika moves off of Hispaniola.
Erika is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches with maximum amounts of 10 inches possible across portions of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and eastern Cuba through Sunday.
In addition, the outer bands of Erika are also expected to produce rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches across the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as the southeastern and central Bahamas through Sunday.
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