Danny is off and Erika is on and now as a Tropical Storm heading west towards the Lesser Antilles. This system has environment ‘relatively favourable’ for slow intensification over the next couple of days and so significant impacts look likely for the northern Leeward Islands.

As for the United States, this is worth watching as the pattern looks conducive for the system to maintain itself all the way to the Bahamas next week and with a trough splitting over the Eastern US early next week, the atmosphere in ventilated off the SE coast. There is however a more hostile environment in and around Hispaniola and the question is does Erika manage to break through this increased mid and upper level shear?

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Here’s the spray of computer models. Note the majority take this system into the vicinity of the Bahamas next week.

NHC’s latest track. Note that they DO see Erika over the Bahamas as a HURRICANE by Sunday.

5.00pm NHC discussion.

TROPICAL STORM ERIKA DISCUSSION NUMBER   4
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL       AL052015
500 PM AST TUE AUG 25 2015

After becoming quite disorganized in appearance earlier today,
Erika has made a bit of a comeback with increased deep convection
near and to the south of the center.  Data from the Air Force
Hurricane Hunters indicate that the intensity is near 35 kt and
this is consistent with Dvorak estimates from both TAFB and SAB.
Erika has limited upper-level outflow over the northern semicircle
of the circulation, and microwave data suggest that the cyclone has
been ingesting some dry mid-level air.  As in the previous
forecast, there is considerable uncertainty as to the future
intensity of this tropical cyclone.  The SHIPS guidance indicates
increasing west-northwesterly shear over the next few days, and the
GFS and ECMWF global models do not strengthen the system during the
forecast period.  The HWRF and GFDL models do show strengthening,
however, but along a track to the right of most of the guidance.
The official intensity forecast has been reduced a bit from the
previous one and is close to the model consensus.

A center fix from the aircraft indicates that the motion continues
to be near 280/17.  A mid-level subtropical ridge to the north of
Erika should steer the system on a west-northwestward track for the
next several days.  Late in the forecast period, there is
significant spread in the models, with those models that depict a
weaker system being farther south and west and those having a
stronger cyclone farther to the north and east.  The official track
forecast has been adjusted a little to the left of the previous one
and is in line with the latest dynamical model consensus.

Some of the tropical storm watches for the islands of the
northeastern Caribbean may need to be changed to warnings on the
next advisory package.

FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INIT  25/2100Z 15.6N  52.8W   35 KT  40 MPH
12H  26/0600Z 16.1N  55.1W   35 KT  40 MPH
24H  26/1800Z 16.7N  58.4W   40 KT  45 MPH
36H  27/0600Z 17.4N  61.4W   45 KT  50 MPH
48H  27/1800Z 18.2N  64.3W   50 KT  60 MPH
72H  28/1800Z 20.3N  69.7W   50 KT  60 MPH
96H  29/1800Z 22.5N  74.0W   55 KT  65 MPH
120H  30/1800Z 25.0N  78.0W   65 KT  75 MPH

$$
Forecaster Pasch

GFLD takes this system into the Bahamas as a hurricane at 126 hrs (Sunday) as does the HWRF.

Check this out off the ECMWF at 240 hrs.

The US upper pattern is also becoming more favourable and may be opening the door to US impact as we have a trough split on the way, a setup which is allowed many major hurricanes to slam the US over the years.

A taste of fall is soon to give way to summer for the Midwest, Lakes and Northeast next week. Should feel more like July 4, not September 4.

Big rain totals across the Hawaiian chain. Honolulu received over 4 inches of rain Monday. That’s well over 6x the normal August rainfall for the city.

See today’s video for more.

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