TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - On Monday, the National Hurricane Center designated Tropical Storm Erin in the eastern Atlantic.

Tracking Erin

Erin is now located nearly 1000 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands and moving west at 17 miles per hour.

The tropical storm has winds of 50 mph and a pressure of 1004 mb. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting Erin to strengthen into a hurricane by Thursday.

The storm is now expected to strengthen rather quickly as it navigates through more favorable conditions for development.

Trouble developing so far

Key components to a tropical cyclone development are water temperatures at or above 80 degrees, low wind shear and absence of dry air.

During Erin’s early lifespan, the tropical cyclone struggled to strengthen because it lacked 80-deg

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