On August 15, convection organized into bands, and as its winds approached hurricane strength, an eye developed within the storm. A high pressure system persisted over the south-central United States, forcing the storm to move just south of due west at 25 mph (40 km/h). With well-established outflow and low levels of wind shear, Erika strengthened as the circulation became better defined. NEXRAD image of Erika making landfall on northeastern Mexico. After crossing Florida, Hurricane Hunters indicated a poorly defined circulation, but with winds exceeding tropical storm strength, and the system was designated as Tropical Storm Erika late on August 14 while located 85 miles (137 km) west of Fort Myers. The mid-level storm continued westward and moved across Florida. Ī closed low-level circulation nearly developed on August 14 to the east of Key Largo, Florida, but it weakened due to the deep convection remaining to the north over the mid-level center. On August 13, while located near the northwestern Bahamas, a substantial increase in convection resulted in the upper-level low building downwards to the middle levels of the troposphere, coinciding with the development of an upper level anticyclone. As the system rapidly continued westward, much of the convection remained near the center of the upper-level low, preventing development of a closed surface circulation. The surface low and the upper-level low turned westward as it revolved around a common center, and by August 11, the surface low developed into a trough while 440 miles (710 km) south of Bermuda. It moved southwestward, and on August 9, it generated convection as it passed beneath a cold-core upper-level low. There, two people were killed when their vehicle was swept away by floodwaters.Įxtratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depressionĪ weak surface area of low pressure detached from a frontal system on August 8, while located 1,150 miles (1,850 km) to the east of Bermuda.

In northeastern Mexico, Erika produced moderate amounts of rainfall, resulting in mudslides and flooding.

In south Texas, Erika produced moderate winds of 50 to 60 mph (80 to 97 km/h) along with light rain, causing minor and isolated wind damage in the state. While Erika's precursor disturbance was moving across Florida, it dropped heavy rainfall. However, the storm's mid-level circulation persisted for another three days, emerging into the East Pacific and moving northwestward over Baja California, before dissipating on August 20. It made landfall as a hurricane on northeastern Mexico on August 16, and the storm's low-level circulation center dissipated by the next day. Under the influence of a high pressure system, Erika moved quickly westward and strengthened under favorable conditions. The storm developed from a non-tropical area of low pressure that was tracked for five days before developing in the eastern Gulf of Mexico on August 14. It was not until later data was analyzed that the NHC revised it to Category 1 intensity in the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. At first, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) operationally did not designate it as a hurricane because initial data suggested winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) at Erika's peak intensity. Erika was the eighth tropical cyclone, fifth tropical storm, and third hurricane of the season. Hurricane Erika was a weak hurricane that struck extreme northeastern Mexico near the Texas- Tamaulipas border in mid-August of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Part of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season The Bahamas, Florida, Mexico, Southern Texas Hurricane Erika as a Tropical Storm after it’s landfall on Mexico on August 16

Erika hurricane track