Floridians it's the time again. Head for the er... hills. A major storm is headed your way. Tropical Storm Erika is reportedly heading to South Florida and is expected to hit this weekend, as early as Sunday. It has yet to reach wind speeds to categorize it as a hurricane.
According to MyFoxHurricane.com, Winds on Tuesday were traveling at an estimated 40 miles per hour, meaning Erika is currently a minimal tropical storm. However, that does not rule out its potential to turn dangerous.
FOX 35 News Orlando Meteorologist Brooks Tomlin, says in about 24 to 48 hours, the storm team will have a better idea of where she may strike and what she is capable of doing. "It's a very disorganized tropical storm right now." Erika is currently churning about 335 miles east of Antigua and is moving west.
According to Florida Today, the director of Brevard County Emergency Management, Kimberly Prosser advises this stage in the game is a turning point for residents. "This is the point where you should start planning whether you're going to evacuate, where you're going to go, how you're going to communicate." Prosser says the agency is also reaching out to several public safety organizations to ensure they are aware of the storm's potential threat.
FOX News points out, the U.S. National Hurricane Center says Erika will move over or near parts of the Leeward Islands on Wednesday night and move near Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Thursday."
Theyalso added, "This will be the second time in less than three days a tropical storm will slide into the Leeward Islands, after Tropical Storm Danny did so earlier this week. If the storm weakens, it would veer westward towards the Gulf."
Storm warnings have been issued in Puerto Rico, the U.S., the British Virgin Islands, and the Leeward Island.
Yikes. Sounds like this is not the place to live at the moment!
But Hawaii does not seem to be either. Tropical Storm Ignacio is broiling near the islands. Fox reports, the storm's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 50 miles per hour, and it's expected to strengthen to a hurricane by Thursday.
Thursday appears the vital day in getting the low down on these tropical storms. Tune into local stations if in the Florida area to learn more about the local conditions.
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