SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Tropical Storm Erika lashed Puerto Rico with rain and wind Friday after killing at least four people and causing devastating floods and mudslides in the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, where authorities said about 20 people were still missing.

The storm was expected to dump up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain across the drought-stricken northern Caribbean as it headed toward the Bahamas and the U.S.

Forecasters no longer expected it would strike Florida as a hurricane but still considered it likely that it would reach the state as a tropical storm starting late Sunday, said Chris Landsea, a meteorologist with the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was also considered possible that the storm would dissipate as it passes over the mountains of Hispaniola, the island that includes the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

“It is unlikely at this point to become a hurricane,” Landsea said. “The main threat will be rainfall. You’ve seen some horrific rainfall in the Caribbean with what happened in Dominica.”

Erika was located about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east-southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and was moving west near 17 mph (28 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were near 50 mph (85 kph).

Authorities in the Dominican Republic prepared for Erika’s arrival on Friday, including the popular tourist areas of Punta Cana, Samana and Puerto Plata.