Tropical Storm Erika heads for Caribbean, Florida

Tropical Storm Erika continued its march toward the Caribbean Wednesday and was expected to move through the Leeward Islands overnight and into Thursday.

After skirting through the Caribbean islands and the Bahamas, it's forecast to approach the U.S., potentially as a hurricane.

"There is growing concern that Erika will threaten Florida Sunday night into Monday,"  said AccuWeather hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski.

It would be the first hurricane to hit Florida in nearly 10 years; Hurricane Wilma battered the state in October 2005.

The storm, which now has sustained winds of 45 mph, should bring rain, wind and rough surf to the islands of the northeastern Caribbean overnight Wednesday and into Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said.

"Erika is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 3 to 5 inches with maximum amounts of 8 inches across portions of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic through Friday," the hurricane center said.

Tropical storm warnings have been posted for Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and the Leeward Islands as the storm approaches. Many of these areas are enduring drought conditions so the rainfall would be mostly welcome, AccuWeather said.

Tropical storm watches have been issued for the north coast of the Dominican Republic and the southeastern Bahamas.

As of 5 p.m. ET, Erika was located about 195 miles east of Antigua and was moving to the west at 17 mph, the center reported.

The storm should move into the Bahamas by Saturday and Sunday and potentially impact Florida as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday, the hurricane center said.

Floridians were making preparations as the storm approached. In Brevard County, emergency management officials are at a Level 3 status, which means they are monitoring the storm’s development and are in contact with state officials and meteorologists. Kimberly Prosser, the director of Brevard County Emergency Management said residents should revisit their hurricane plans.

“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, all of that. You want to be ready to start making your decisions,” said Prosser, adding that the agency is also reaching out to a number of public safety entities to ensure that they are aware of the storm’s potential threat.

Residents should also already have food and water stocked for emergencies, she added.

Meanwhile, in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Ignacio has winds of 65 mph and should reach hurricane strength Thursday. The storm is located 1,365 miles east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, and is moving west at 12 mph.

It's predicted to approach the Hawaiian Islands as a hurricane by late Sunday and Monday.

Contributing: J.D. Gallop and Chris Bonanno, FLORIDA TODAY