(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency) MIAMI Dhu-AlQa'dah 12 1436 August 27 2015 SPA -- A tropical storm watch was extended to the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas on Wednesday as Erika the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season closed in on the Eastern Caribbean and appeared to be heading for Florida the U.S. National Hurricane Center said according to Reuters.
Erika strengthened slightly on Wednesday and could reach hurricane status near Florida by Monday morning the Miami-based government forecaster said but its future intensity was uncertain due to possible wind disruption.
The Florida State Emergency Operations Center was partially activated on Wednesday as officials monitored the storm.
"We are preparing the protective and responsive measures we will need if the storm continues to develop out of an abundance of caution" said Director Bryan W. Koon.
The state's Division of Emergency Management advised Florida residents and visitors to keep an eye on local news for further instructions and be sure they have disaster supply kits fully stocked and evacuation plans in place.
The storm was about 195 miles (315 km) east of the island of Antigua with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (72 kph). It was expected to near land by Wednesday night and reach Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Thursday.
"The overall pattern is the most favorable I've seen in a long time for a potential Florida landfall" said Bob Henson a meteorologist who writes a blog for private forecaster Weather Underground.
The last hurricane to hit Florida was Wilma in October 2005.
Tropical storm warnings were in effect for Puerto Rico the Virgin Islands St. Martin/St Maarten St. Barthelemy Montserrat Antigua and Barbuda St. Kitts and Nevis Anguilla Saba and St. Eustatius.
Erika was expected to produce 3 to 5 inches of rain across portions of the Leeward Islands the Virgin Islands Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic through Friday.
The U.S. government's annual forecast shows a quieter-than-normal 2015 Atlantic hurricane season with six to 10 named storms and up to four reaching hurricane status of 74 mph (119 kph).
Last week the season's first hurricane Danny rapidly dissipated as the storm reached the Caribbean islands.
--SPA
01:07 LOCAL TIME 22:07 GMT
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.