Tropical storm Ernesto formed on Monday in the Atlantic and is currently near Guadeloupe, in the Windward Islands, while it is moving quickly westward at a speed of 31 km/h.
At 5:00 a.m. AST (09:00 UTC), the center of Ernesto was located approximately 15 km southeast of Guadalupe and 565 km east-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ernesto's maximum sustained winds reach 65 km/h, with stronger gusts, and it is expected to gradually strengthen over the next few days, potentially becoming a hurricane by Thursday.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for several islands in the northeastern Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, St. Barthelemy, Sint Maarten, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vieques, and Culebra.
That warning indicates that tropical storm conditions are expected in these areas within the next 36 hours.
The forecasting models do not predict that Ernesto will affect either Cuba or Florida.
Ernesto is expected to produce rainfall of 4 to 6 inches in parts of the Leeward Islands and the Virgin Islands, while in Puerto Rico accumulations could reach 10 inches in some areas.
The winds with tropical storm force, extending up to 110 km from the center, will begin to affect the Leeward Islands in the coming hours and will extend to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by tonight.
Additionally, a storm surge is expected to raise water levels by 1 to 3 feet above ground level on the east coast of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with large and dangerous waves that could create deadly rip currents.
It is expected that after affecting Puerto Rico, Ernesto will continue its advance over the western Atlantic by midweek.
So far in the current hurricane season in the Atlantic basin, which began on June 1, five tropical storms have formed: Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, and Ernesto. At the moment, none have posed a danger to Cuba.
Of them, Beryl and Debby strengthened to become hurricanes, the first of which even reached the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale, category five, causing destruction and death in the Caribbean and in the United States.
The current Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be one of the most active and intense in decades, with the formation of up to 25 storms and 13 hurricanes.
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