tropical storm erica

Tropical Storm Erika weakens slightly: NHC

NEW YORK - Tropical Storm Erika, who has served on Tuesday in the Atlantic, weakened Wednesday earlier approached the Leeward Islands, U. S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest warning.

Around 8 pm EDT (1200 GMT), the disorganized center of Erika was located about 160 miles east-southeast of the Leeward Islands to the west at 7 km / h sustained winds down slightly about 45 mph.The tropical storm warnings were issued for Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius.

Erika, the fifth name storm of the season of hurricanes in the Atlantic, was expected to turn west-northwest at a speed of travel has increased slightly over the next two days, and some strengthening is possible in this Thursday.NHC designed to increase the wind speed from 60 to 65 mph in the next two days before returning to around 55 mph this weekend.

Most computer models show the system with a path to the northwest toward Florida and the southeastern coast of the United States, but some models are more clearly to the west towards Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Elsewhere, the NHC said the storm activity associated with a tropical wave in the eastern Atlantic, near the islands of Cape Verde has decreased and development, where appropriate, the system should be lower to produce once the west or west NW 10 to 15 mph.

NHC this system has a small chance - less than 30 percent - to become a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours.Traders eye on energy storms that could enter the Gulf and affect U.S. oil production and natural gas or refinery work along the coast.Commodity traders also watch storms that could affect agricultural crops such as citrus and cotton in Florida and other states along the Texas coast.

The cost of insurance-related securities that transfer insurance risk from natural disasters to investors in capital markets and can be used to cover the risk of weather risk may also be affected by the evolution of a storm .On the other hand, the formation of tropical cyclone was not expected in the next 48 hours.