MIAMI, Aug. 29 (UPI) — Tropical Storm Erika continues to lose strength and may weaken to a tropical depression as it shifts to the west to move across Cuba and Hispaniola, forecasters said early Saturday.
The National Weather Service said the storm continues to dump rain on parts of the Caribbean, but may completely break apart as it crosses over mountainous terrain in Hispaniola and faces further wind shear. Forecasters remain uncertain about how the storm will progress once is passes over the Caribbean islands.
The weather service said under typical tropical storm conditions, a tropical storm watch would be posted for portions of South Florida, but forecasters have chosen to wait until later updates to determine if Erika will be downgraded to a tropical depression, saying “there is a significant chance that no watches or warnings for Florida will be required.”
Two reliable models show the dismantled storm limping near Pensacola or moving through the Gulf of Mexico to Texas, forecasters said.
“Assuming Erika survives the next 24 hours, some restrengthening is possible over the Gulf of Mexico in a less hostile environment,” the weather service said.
As of 5 a.m. Saturday, the storm was about 75 miles south of Guantanamo, Cuba with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph with some higher gusts.
The storm has left at least 20 dead on the Caribbean island of Dominica after more than 12 inches of rain fell. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit asked for international support for the massive damages to the tiny island.
“Nearly every community has been hit,” he said in an address posted on Facebook. “There is extensive damage across our small island after floods swamped villages, destroyed homes and wiped out roads. Some communities are no longer recognizable.
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