Tropical storm Erika strengthens, heads toward Florida

By David Adams MIAMI (Reuters) - 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. 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. (Reporting by David Adams in Miami; Additional reporting by Koustav Samanta and Anupam Chatterjee in Bangalore; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and James Dalgleish)