TROPICS: Tropical Storm Erin, with winds of 45 mph, is in the eastern Atlantic moving to the west at 20 mph. No change in the forecast thinking; Erin becomes a hurricane later this week; it will pass north of the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico, and then turn north into the open Atlantic most likely before reaching the Bahamas. We note NHC brings Erin up to major hurricane intensity by the weekend with winds of 115 mph. The rest of the Atlantic basin is quiet, and no tropical storms or hurricanes are expected near the Gulf for at least the next seven days.
