BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Tropical Storm Erika is expected to move through the Leeward Islands on Wednesday night dumping as much as eight inches of rain, weather officials have said.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said that the storm, the fifth since the start of the 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season, was now located 195 miles east of Antigua and was packing winds of 45 miles per hour (mph).

Several countries including Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Saba, St Eustatius, St Maarten, St Martin St Barthelemy, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands had issued storm warnings.

Tropical storm watch is in effect for Guadeloupe, the north coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to Cabo, the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands

NHC said that at 5:00 pm (local time), the centre of Tropical Storm Erika was located near latitude 16.6 North, longitude 58.9 West and that Erika is moving toward the west near 17 mph.

“A west-northwestward motion at a slightly slower forward speed is expected over the next 48 hours. On the forecast track, the centre of Erika will move near or over portions of the Leeward Islands tonight, move near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Thursday, and be near or just north of the north coast of the Dominican Republic on Friday,” NHC said.

It said the maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph with higher gusts and that little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours.

“Erika is expected to produce total rain accumulations of three to five inches with maximum amounts of eight inches across portions of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic through Friday.

The Antigua-based regional airline, LIAT, has cancelled a number of flights in anticipation of the storm.

Disaster officials in St Lucia warned of the possibility of flash flooding and landslides over some parts of the island, especially the Soufriere area, south east of here “where significant rainfall has occurred over the past few hours”.

“The St Lucia Meteorological Services has therefore issued a flood warning for St. Lucia with effect from 3:45 pm (local time) today until further notice,” an official statement released here Wednesday noted.

Authorities in the Dutch Caribbean territory of St Maarten said schools and government offices would be closed on Thursday. They also asked that casinos, restaurants and other businesses close by midnight.