What was Tropical Storm Erika has dissipated into an area of low pressure with no closed circulation. The remnants will push northwest over the next few days and enhance Central Florida's chances of rain and storms for the beginning of next week.

  • Remnants of Erika's location at 9:30 a.m. Saturday: 21.5 N, 75.9 W
  • How far is it?
    • 130 mi. E of Camaguey, Cuba
    • 260 mi. SSE of Nassau, Bahamas
    • 403 mi. SE of Miami
    • 545 mi. SE of Melbourne
    • 585 mi. SE of Orlando
  • Winds: 35 mph
  • Movement: WNW at 22 mph
  • Pressure: 1,011 mb / 29.86 inches
  • Jump to: Interactive Tracking Map ▼

If you've been watching News 13, you know Erika has been on life support for several days now. At 9:30 a.m. Saturday, the system lost all tropical characteristics.

A weak storm, Erika was not able to survive the strong wind shear and 10,000-foot-tall mountains of Hispaniola, and with the system's continued trek over Cuba into Saturday night, Erika will continue to be pulled apart.

After peering over all the data, the Weather Experts decided Erika was on a different path than the official forecast. The system's westward movement did not match up with a west-northwest or even northwest jaunt, which meant this storm was going to stay over rugged terrain for a longer period. We were able to extrapolate and turn the storm a little later, thus realizing this storm was not going to survive.

We will now monitor the remnant low as it passes through the Florida Straits on Sunday and into the Gulf of Mexico Monday. Abundant moisture will stream into Florida, allowing for elevated rain chances through midweek. Southern Florida will get some much-needed relief from extreme drought conditions.

Although more moisture and higher rain chances are in the forecast for Central Florida, this isn't out of the norm for our wet season. Localized flooding is possible in areas where heavy downpours develop each day. We've also brought the forecast for winds down below 15 mph across the seven-day stretch.

All-in-all, the remnants of Erika will keep our summertime pattern around through most of the week ahead.


Interactive Hurricane Tracker


Erika Final Advisory

9:30 a.m. — Erika degenerates to a trough of low pressure.

Watches and Warnings

Changes with this advisory:

  • All coastal watches and warnings are discontinued.

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Interests in the Bahamas, eastern and central Cuba, and southern Florida should monitor the progress of the remnants of Erika.

Discussion and 48-hour outlook

At 9:30 a.m. EDT, the remnants of Erika were estimated near latitude 21.5 north, longitude 75.9 west.

The remnants are moving toward the west-northwest near 22 mph. This general motion should continue for the next 24 hours or so, with the remnants expected to move near the coast of eastern and central Cuba today and tonight, and into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Sunday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph, with higher gusts.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1,011 mb (29.86 inches).

Hazards affecting land

Rainfall: The remnants of Erika are 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 and central Cuba through Sunday. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. In addition, rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are expected across the Turks and Caicos Islands as well as the southeastern and central Bahamas through Sunday.

Rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches, with locally heavier amounts, are possible across southern and Central Florida beginning on Sunday.

Wind: Gusts to tropical storm force are expected in squalls over portions of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas for the next several hours. These conditions are expected to spread into the central Bahamas this afternoon and tonight. Gusts to tropical storm force in squalls are also possible over eastern Cuba today.

Gusty winds could occur over southern Florida beginning on Sunday.

Next Advisory

This is the last public advisory on this system.