&sq=&lang=&file=File:Erika_Aug_16_2003_1655Z.jpg) Erika as a tropical storm after its landfall on Mexico on August 16 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 14, 2003 |
| Post-tropical | August 17, 2003 |
| Dissipated | August 20, 2003 |
| Category 1 hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 75 mph (120 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 986 mbar (hPa); 29.12 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 2 direct |
| Damage | $100,000 (2003 USD) |
| Areas affected | The Bahamas, Florida, Mexico, Southern Texas |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane 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. Erika was the eighth tropical cyclone, fifth tropical storm, and third hurricane of the season. 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. It was not until later data was analyzed that the NHC revised the storm to Category 1 intensity in the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. 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. Under the influence of a high pressure system, Erika moved quickly westward and strengthened under favorable conditions. 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. 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.
While Erika's precursor disturbance was moving across Florida, it dropped heavy rainfall. 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. Erika produced moderate rainfall in northeastern Mexico, resulting in mudslides and flooding. There, two people were killed when floodwaters swept away their vehicle.