 It became better defined as it moved through the Mona Passage, and a hurricane hunters flight confirmed the presence of a closed circulation.A reconnaissance flight measured wind gusts of and was designated as Tropical Storm Fay late on August 15 as the cyclone moved ashore along eastern Dominican Republic.Initially, it was forecast to steadily intensify before and after crossing Cuba, later reaching minimal hurricane status in the eastern Gulf of Mexico; the HWRF hurricane model predicted for Fay to become a strong hurricane off the coast of western Florida.