Tropical Storm Ernesto has formed Monday in the Atlantic. Hurricane Specialist John Morales has more.
Tropical Storm Ernesto has formed Monday afternoon in the tropical Atlantic.
Ernesto, the fifth named storm of the season, has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving west at 28 mph and is located hundreds of miles east of the Lesser Antilles, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
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WATCH HERETropical storm warnings are still in effect from Guadeloupe north and west to Puerto Rico.
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The National Hurricane Center said Ernesto is forecast to move over or near Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands on Tuesday afternoon or evening.
Forecasters warned the storm is expected to unleash floods and landslides.
“We cannot let our guard down,” Nino Correa, Puerto Rico's emergency management commissioner, said at a news conference.
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Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said more than 340 shelters across the island would be available if necessary and that more than 200 personnel with the National Guard were activated.
Ernesto Morales, with the National Weather Service in San Juan, said between six to eight inches of rain are expected, with higher amounts in isolated areas. He also warned of hurricane-strength wind gusts as the storm is expected to hit northeast Puerto Rico and move across the U.S. territory late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
Ernesto is expected to become a hurricane early Thursday as it turns north toward Bermuda, with some forecasters warning it could strengthen into a major Category 3 storm.
