MIAMI, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The sixth tropical storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was heading for Haiti on Saturday where heavy rains could cause mud slides and flash floods, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Tropical Storm Fay was expected to move across Haiti in the morning before heading for Cuba. It was then expected to move in the direction of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, with computer models showing it emerging somewhere near south Florida by Monday.

The storm was not projected by the Miami-based hurricane center to strengthen into a hurricane, with winds of at least 74 miles per hour (119 km per hour). The high mountains of Hispaniola and the amount of time it seemed destined to spend over land in Cuba would most likely drain it of energy.

At 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT), Fay was located around 60 miles (95 km) east of Port-au-Prince and was moving toward the west at about 14 mph (22 kph).

Top sustained winds had reached near 45 mph (75 kph) but the storm's potential rainfall of 4 to 8 inches (10-20 cm) was of greater concern than its winds, particularly over the denuded hillsides of Haiti, where thousands of people have been killed by mudslides and floods during the past few hurricane seasons.

In some areas torrential rainfall of 12 inches (30 cm) could be expected, the hurricane center said, adding this could cause life-threatening mud slides and flash floods.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the entire coast of Haiti, for the entire north coast of the Dominican Republic and for part of the south coast.

A tropical storm warning was also in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands, the southeastern Bahamas and part of Cuba.

A tropical storm warning means storm conditions with gusty winds and rain can be expected within 24 hours.

Energy markets have been watching the storm system closely as several computer models projected it could enter the Gulf of Mexico, home to U.S. oil and gas production rigs.

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season is on track to be more active than average, due to warm sea waters and favorable atmospheric conditions.

Two of the tropical storms so far, Bertha and Dolly, reached hurricane strength before fading out over the open Atlantic and washing up on the shores of south Texas, respectively.

(Reporting by Michael Christie; editing by Jim Loney and Sandra Maler)

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