WeatherFanatics: PHOTOS: Erika Slams Caribbean Islands With Wind, Flooding Rain

Saturday, August 29, 2015

PHOTOS: Erika Slams Caribbean Islands With Wind, Flooding Rain

By Brian Lada, Meteorologist

August 29,2015; 11:51PM,EDT

Erika, once a tropical storm, tracked across part of the Caribbean late this past week, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the islands in its path.
Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Leeward Islands were all impacted by Erika while it was still a tropical storm before it weakened into a tropical rainstorm.
"Erika lost its battle with the mountainous islands of the northern Caribbean and strong wind shear on Saturday morning," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
Cuba was Erika's main focus on Saturday, delivering heavy rain to parts of the island despite losing tropical storm status.

A boat sits in shallow water as Tropical Storm Erika passes through New Town, Dominica, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015. Erika was expected to move near Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Thursday and be near or just north of the Dominican Republic on Friday as it heads toward Florida early next week, possibly as a hurricane. (AP Photo/Carlisle Jno Baptiste)
Dominica was one of the hardest hit islands, with the Canefield Airport (located on the island) receiving 12.69 inches of rain during a 24-hour period. Nine inches of this fell in just a six-hour period, leading to significant flooding over parts of the island.
In Puerto Rico, more than 200,000 people lost power and crop damage totaled more than $16 million, according to the Associated Press.
In a statement on Friday, the Premier and Minister of Finance of the British Virgin Islands stated that he encourages all residents to support any fundraising efforts that are organized to assist those affected by Erika.
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Despite Erika weakening, it could still have major impacts on the United States, particularly Florida.
As what is left of Erica tracks to the north and west, it will move back over water and in an environment that is conducive for it to re-intensify.
It is possible that Erika could become a tropical storm once again, delivering heavy rain to Florida, bringing the threat of flooding during the first half of the week.

Major Flooding From Tropical Storm Erika Sweeps Roseau, Dominica

Broken traffic lights and street lamps lay on the ground as the strong winds of Tropical Storm Erika approach Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, Friday, August 28, 2015. Tropical Storm Erika began to lose steam Friday over the Dominican Republic, but it left behind a trail of destruction that included several people killed on the small eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, authorities said. (AP Photo/Tatiana Fernandez)