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 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 system, Erika moved quickly westward and became stronger under favorable conditions.