BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Tropical Storm Ernesto, is expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday, and is gaining strength as it passes just south of St. Kitts-Nevis on Tuesday, the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has said.
In its latest bulletin, the NHC said that a hurricane watch has since been issued for the British and United States Virgin Islands, while tropical storm warnings remain in effect for St. Kitts-Nevis, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Guadeloupe, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, Sint Maarten as well as the British Virgin Islands and the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The NHC said that the storm is now 155 miles east south-east of St. Croix and 250 miles east south-east of san Juan Puerto Rico and has maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour
“Ernesto is moving toward the west-northwest near 18 mph and this general motion is expected to continue through tonight.
A motion toward the northwest and then north at a slower forward speed is expected on Wednesday and Thursday.
“On the forecast track, the center of Ernesto should pass near or over the Virgin Islands this
evening, and then pass just to the northeast and north of Puerto Rico tonight and on Wednesday. Ernesto should then move over the western Atlantic later in the week,” the NHC added.
It said that the maximum sustained winds have increased to near 50 mph with higher gusts and that “additional strengthening is forecast, and “Ernesto is expected to become a hurricane by early Wednesday”.
Tropical Storm Ernesto is expected to produce total rain accumulations of four to six inches over portions of the Leeward Islands from Guadeloupe to Dominica and across the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
“Tropical storm conditions are occurring over portions of the warning area in the Leeward Islands. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin spreading over the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico later today and tonight. Hurricane conditions are also possible over the Virgin Islands, Vieques, and Culebra this evening into tonight,” the NHC added.
It said that a storm surge will raise water levels by as much as one to three feet above ground level for the eastern coast of Puerto Rico from San Juan to Guayama, including the islands of Culebra and Vieques and in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.
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