The East Bay could be in for a rough week, weather-wise, as Tropical Storm Hermine churns up the East Coast.

A tropical storm watch has been issued for most of Rhode Island, as tropical storm conditions could begin in the East Bay as soon as Sunday afternoon, and continue through Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy rain, thunderstorms and high wind gusts could begin Sunday afternoon, though most likely won't begin until overnight Sunday into Monday. Wind gusts could approach 50 mph Sunday evening.

Hermine reemerged into the Atlantic Ocean late Saturday morning after slamming into Northwest Florida Friday and continuing across the Carolinas and Virginia. It hit Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, but was quickly downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved over land. Now that the storm is back over the water, it is expected to strengthen back into a hurricane Sunday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm had sustained winds around 70 mph as of Saturday afternoon, just below the threshold for a hurricane. Tropical storm 

The large, slow-moving storm is forecast to stall off the Mid-Atlantic coast, then slowly make its way northward toward New York/New England, passing just to the south of Rhode Island Wednesday into Thursday. The bands of heavy rain and wind extend far from the center of the storm, likely impacting all of Rhode Island even if the center stays off-shore, as most forecast models currently show.

The storm is also expected to chiurn of the seas, creating high surg and dangerous rip currents along the coast. Localized flooding and scattered power outages are also possible.

As with any tropical storm, Hermine is difficult to precisely predict. Check back with eastbayri.com for forecast updates as they become available.