Erika has been on a roller coaster ride as far as strength is concerned. Right now the models are in agreement that she will continue to slowly weaken through the weekend. The pressure has already begun to rise in the center of the storm to about 1010mb (the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm). the storm is also moving into to an area of dry air with westerly and southwesterly flow. All of these factors plus the chance of land interaction will all help Erika weaken over the next few days.
Erika is an elongated storm with a center that is not well defined, but she does have a habit of strengthening considerably in the overnight hours (this is common of most tropical storms and hurricanes). But if she stays true to her ways, you can expect a steady weakening as she moves northwest on her track to Puerto Rico. She is expected to make landfall for the first time early Friday Morning.
Meteorologist Marla Branson
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