What is Hurricane Erika (2003)?
{{dablink|This article is about the Atlantic hurricane in 2003. For other storms of the same name, see [[Hurricane Erika]]}} {{Infobox Hurricane | Name=Hurricane Erika | Type=hurricane | Year=2003 | Basin=Atl | Image location=Hurricane Erika 16 aug 2003 1310Z.jpg | Image name=Hurricane Erika at peak intensity over northeastern [[Mexico]] on August 16 | Formed=August 14, 2003 | Dissipated=August 17, 2003 | 1-min winds=65 | Pressure=986 | Damages=0.01 | Inflated=0 | Fatalities=2 direct | Areas=[[Florida]], [[Mexico]], south [[Texas]] | Hurricane season=[[2003 Atlantic hurricane season]] }} '''Hurricane Erika''' was a [[Atlantic hurricane]] that hit extreme [[northeastern]] [[Mexico]] near the [[Texas]]-[[Tamaulipas]] border. It happened on August 16, during the [[2003 Atlantic hurricane season]]. Erika was the eighth [[tropical cyclone]], fifth [[tropical storm]], and third [[hurricane]] of the season that year. The storm was created from a non-tropical [[low pressure area|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 area|high pressure system]], Erika moved quickly westward and became stronger under [[tropical cyclogenesis|favorable conditions]]. ==Storm history== {{storm path|Erika 2003 track.png|left|200px}} A weak surface area of low pressure came apart from a [[Surface weather analysis|frontal system]] on August 8. It was moving southwestward during that time. On August 9, it created [[convection]] when it was passing underneath a cold-core [[Troposphere|upper-level]] [[low pressure area|low]]. As the system rapidly continued westward, a lot of the convection stayed near the center of the upper-level low, preventing development of a closed surface circulation. On August 13, while located near the northwestern [[Bahamas]], an increase in convection made the upper-level low building downwards to the middle levels of the [[troposphere]], which caused the development of an upper level [[anticyclone