Tropical Storm Erin may near Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic before likely turning north as a hurricane, sparing the U.S.

The chances that rain and wind from Tropical Storm Erin will hit the East Coast have risen slightly this week.

Tropical Storm Erin sputtered in the open waters of the eastern Atlantic when it was wrapped in a veil of dry, dusty air from the Sahara, which limited the storm’s ability to strengthen. But it’s still set to become a hurricane by the weekend,