Tropical Storm Ernesto is expected to strengthen into a hurricane in the Atlantic by Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Ernesto was located in the Caribbean Sea about 300 miles east-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday morning and was moving west at 18 mph with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.
The storm is expected to move through the Leeward Islands, including the U.S. Virgin Islands and St. Maarten, on Tuesday morning and reach Puerto Rico by the evening.
“Ernesto is forecast to move northward over the western Atlantic after passing Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands,” the hurricane center said.
Tropical Storm Ernesto on August 13, 2024. NOAA/AFP via Getty Images
The storm is expected to strengthen over the next few days and become a hurricane by Thursday just north of the Greater Antilles islands, which include Cuba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica.
According to the NHC, Ernesto is expected to bring 4 to 6 inches of rain to parts of the Leeward Islands and Virgin Islands, and 3 to 6 inches to Puerto Rico, with some areas potentially getting as much as 10 inches.
Water levels could rise up to 3 feet above ground level along the east coast of Puerto Rico, the U.S. territories, and the British Virgin Islands. Storm surges could produce large and potentially destructive waves near the coast of the British Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico has already activated its National Guard and canceled the start of classes at public schools, the Associated Press reported.
Tropical storm warnings were issued for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Martin and Sint Maarten, Guadeloupe and St. Barthelemy.
Contributed by Kathryn Prociv
