Erika: Dominica in disaster status, Florida awaits downpour

Saturday, August 29, 2015, 11:33 AM - Dominica declared disaster status Sunday afternoon after flooding and mudslides from Tropical Storm Erika claimed 20 lives and left more then 50 people missing throughout the island.

What was once a tropical storm has been downgraded to a trough of low pressure, according to the United States National Hurricane Center (NHS). But that doesn't mean the remnants of the system known as Erika won't still have an impact over the coming days.

Forecasters predicted Tropical Storm Erika would weaken on Saturday -- but officials in Florida are preparing for a major weather event when the system arrives later this weekend.

Officials in Florida said residents should prepare by filling vehicles' gas tanks, stockpiling a few days' of food and water, and determining whether they live in an evacuation zone. The storm has the potential to rake Florida's west coast with heavy rains starting late Sunday or early Monday. The primary threats with the heavy rain include life-threatening flash flooding in low-lying coastal areas.

TUNE IN: Stay tuned to The Weather Network on TV and theweathernetwork.com as we continue to track severe weather in Florida. Meteorologist and stormhunter Mark Robinson and TWN Reporter Nathan Coleman are live on the ground this week.

The system degenerated into a low pressure trough after mountainous terrain and unfavourable conditions on the island of Hispaniola knocked the wind out of the system's sails.

As of Saturday at 9:30 a.m. EDT, Erika was making it's way over Cuba with sustained winds of 55 km/h and heavy rain, after drenching the island of Hispaniola. At least five people perished in Haiti in weather-related accidents.

The trough is moving west-northwest at about 35km/h, according to the NHS.

The change in Erika's status meant all watches and warnings for the affected Caribbean islands have been dropped.

Erika has proven to be a very unpredictable system. There is still a risk that the storm could restrengthen once it reaches warm waters between Cuba and the southern coast of Florida by late Sunday.

At the height of its strength thus far, Erika carved a path of devastation through Dominica earlier this week.

On Thursday, the tropical storm roared through the tiny Caribbean island, which is home to about 70,000 people. Erika's torrential rain triggered severe flooding and mudslides, washing out roads and bringing down buildings. 

At least 20 people have been confirmed dead, and that number could rise as dozens remain missing among the storm debris.

While the intensity of the storm remains to be determined by the time it tracks to south Florida, the National Weather Service says there's a chance of tropical storm conditions in Miami on Sunday.

Though the storm is too far from Canada to have any direct impact, moisture from storms nearing or making landfall in the U.S. can affect weather patterns north of the border. Be sure to check back for updates as we continue to monitor to forecast.

Here are 9 images of Tropical Storm Erika's devastating destruction.

-- With files from Dalia Ibrahim

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