MIAMI (Reuters) - The remnants of former Tropical Storm Emily regenerated into a tropical depression over the northern Bahamas on Saturday and were expected to head out into the open Atlantic, forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The swirling mass of thunderstorms had top sustained winds of 30 miles per hour (45 km per hour) and would regain tropical storm status if those winds reach 39 mph. The forecasters said slight strengthening was possible as the weather disturbance moved north and then northeast away from the Bahamas and the U.S. East Coast.
It posed no threat to energy interests in the Gulf of Mexico but was expected to bring heavy rainfall to the northwest Bahamas before heading out into the open Atlantic on Sunday.
Emily's rains triggered flooding that killed four people and forced thousands to flee their homes in the Dominican Republic and Haiti over the last few days. The system dissipated as it moved over the mountains of Hispaniola, the island shared by the two nations, but forecasters had warned that it could regroup into a tropical cyclone as it moved north over warm Atlantic waters.
(Reporting by Jane Sutton; Editing by Eric Walsh)