As of the latest update, issued at 4 a.m. CDT Thursday, Tropical Storm Erin was located about 990 miles east of the Leeward Islands and was on a path to the west at 17 mph. (The next update will come later this morning, and updates will become more frequent once watches and warnings go into effect for the storm.)

The system is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Friday and could even become a major hurricane, according to experts.

The storm is expected to remain over open waters and move north-northeast of islands including Antigua and Barbuda, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.