Tropical storm warnings were posted Thursday for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as Erika approached.
But by the time it gets there, Erika may have fizzled from storm strength. It will remain very windy and wet, but not as dangerous.
At 11 a.m., the National Hurricane Center said the slow moving system was holding at minimum tropical storm strength, with winds at 40 mph, but was expected to weaken into a depression as it neared the islands and then fade further.
By Sunday, the Turks and Caicos Islands could be dealing with only remnants of the storm. Even falling apart, Erika could bring heavy rains to islands in its path, including Hispaniola and the southern Bahamas. The center predicted up to eight inches of rain in Puerto Rico.
Beyond three days, when the system exits an area of strong wind shear that has shredded it, the storm could reorganize, but forecasters gave it a low shot of building back into a tropical storm.
The storm remained some 1,200 miles from Miami, still outside the hurricane center's five-day prediction window. Florida could face some impact from Erika next week, but the system also could veer more northwest, staying off the coast as well.
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