Tropical Storm Erika No Match For Cuba

Tropical Storm Erika’s collision with Hispaniola weakened the poorly organized storm, but Cuba tore it apart.

That’s the report out of the National Hurricane Center as of 9:30 a.m. Saturday. The center discontinued tropical storm watches and warnings related to Erika as of that time.

As of 9:30 a.m., the remnants of Erika were located over Cuba with the storm still packing maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. Future updates on the remnants are not anticipated at this time.

Tropical Storm Erika has been blamed for widespread flooding and the deaths of at least 20 people as she moved through the Caribbean.

While Erika is no longer under watch, forecasters at the National Weather Service say the Tampa Bay area is in for a few days of rain. The forecast calls for a 30 percent chance of scattered showers Saturday followed by a stronger potential for storms Sunday and into early next week.

“The remnants of Erika could still produce rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches or more, along with gusty winds, across southern and central Florida beginning on Sunday,” the National Weather Service wrote in a Saturday morning report.

Meanwhile another tropical disturbance is making its way off the coast of Africa, located about 150 miles west of Guinea. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say the disturbance is “gradually becoming better organized.” The system has a 50 percent chance of forming into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours and a 70 percent chance over the next five days.

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Graphic courtesy of the National Hurricane Center

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10 a.m. with the latest information from the National Hurricane Center.