Tropical Storm Ernesto is expected to strengthen as it approaches Bermuda.
Tropical Storm Ernesto could strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane within the next week, meteorologists say.
Tropical Storm Ernesto dumped heavy rains on the northeastern Caribbean islands and continued to strengthen Tuesday as authorities in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands braced for the storm’s arrival and possible hurricane conditions.
Ernesto developed into a tropical storm Monday night as it headed toward the northern Leeward Islands before passing near Guadeloupe and Montserrat early Tuesday.
“The hurricane is expected to further strengthen, and Ernesto is expected to become a hurricane by early Wednesday,” the National Weather Service said. The National Hurricane Center said.
By 2 p.m. ET, Ernesto was located 85 miles east of St. Croix and 175 miles east-southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, “just a few hours away” from invoking tropical storm conditions in the Virgin Islands, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm strengthened and consolidated during the morning hours, bringing sustained winds of 60 mph as it headed toward the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico at 18 mph. Forecasters say the storm could dump up to a half-foot of rain across parts of the islands by the time it passes through Puerto Rico and reaches the warm western Atlantic later this week.
On Monday night, Government of Puerto Rico Pedro Pierluisi He announced the cancellation of the first day of school in public schools, the activation of the National Guard and the opening of hundreds of shelters across the island. He told residents and tourists that although the storm is not expected to become a hurricane until after it passes through Puerto Rico, it will still bring heavy rains, with some areas expected to receive up to 10 inches.
The U.S. Virgin Islands government also announced all schools would be closed Tuesday, and Governor Albert Bryan Jr. urged residents at a news conference to take the storm seriously.
Tropical Storm Ernesto: Track the storm’s direction in the latest models.
Experts see signs that Ernesto is developing an inner core.
Meteorologists were monitoring signs of an inner core developing as Ernesto reached warm Caribbean waters on Tuesday, causing National Hurricane Center Warning: “Ernesto could approach or reach hurricane strength within 24 hours when centered north of Puerto Rico.”
As Ernesto developed, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, as well as Culebra and Vieques—islands that are part of Puerto Rico—were placed under hurricane watches. “If you’re in those areas, you need to go ahead and prepare for the possibility of hurricane conditions,” he says. National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rome He said during the live broadcast.
Tropical storm warnings urging people to remain aware of “significant flooding” and potential mudslides were also active across the region, including Puerto Rico, the United States, the British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, St. Maarten, St. Barthelemy, Vieques and Culebra. According to the National Hurricane Center.
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The incoming storm is causing disruption to air traffic in and out of Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth with more than three million U.S. citizens and a popular tourist destination.
Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, the island’s main flight destination, canceled 28 departing flights and 29 arriving flights on Tuesday, the most of any airport in the world, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. FlightAware Tracking Site.
For another perspective, 97 flights to and from the United States have been canceled so far on Tuesday.
Where is Tropical Storm Ernesto headed?
Ernesto is expected to move over or near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico beginning Tuesday evening and continuing through Wednesday.
“Heavy rainfall could lead to flash flooding and large localized mudslides in areas of the Leeward Islands through today, and over the Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico later today and into Wednesday,” the hurricane center said.
Later in the week, forecasters expect Ernesto to move north and head toward Bermuda. Warm Atlantic waters are expected to strengthen the storm as it moves north of the Greater Antilles. The National Hurricane Center says Ernesto could become a major hurricane with winds of 111 mph by Friday.
Will Tropical Storm Ernesto affect the United States?
While the continental United States will largely escape the heavy rains and strong winds that will accompany the storm, authorities have warned of dangerous currents and strong waves along the country’s Atlantic coast. Eight people died last year. Directly linked to Hurricane Idalia It was the result of large waves and rough sea currents.
The Coast Guard on Monday warned recreational boaters, fishermen, beachgoers and water sports enthusiasts in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to stay out of the water “due to worsening sea conditions and dangerous currents associated with Tropical Storm Ernesto.”
“We urge the public and the marine community to stay safe and not to underestimate the impacts of this storm.” Captain Luis Rodriguez, Commander, Coast Guard Sector San JuanHe said in a statement:
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Why is Ernesto not expected to hit the US mainland?
Ernesto is not expected to hit the U.S. mainland, but is expected to drift out to sea. That’s not unusual: Of all the tropical storms and hurricanes that form in the tropical Atlantic in a given year, only three on average make it to U.S. shores, according to today’s weather book.
Because hurricanes don’t move on their own, they’re driven by large weather systems and global winds. Most often, storms push northward around or along the western portion of a high-pressure ridge over the Atlantic Ocean, known as the Bermuda High. If the high is further east, hurricanes generally slide around the western edge of the high into the open Atlantic without making landfall, according to the University of Rhode Island. That’s what Ernesto is expected to do later this week, according to the National Hurricane Center.
However, sometimes the high is located to the west and extends far enough south that storms are prevented from bending north and are forced to continue west, placing a heavy center of gravity over Florida, Cuba, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical Storm Ernesto Forms During Active Hurricane Season
If Ernesto strengthens to a Category 1 storm, it would be the third hurricane to make landfall so far this hurricane season, and one expert expects it to be above average due to ocean temperatures rising to unprecedented levels.
Across the eastern United States, residents and authorities are still recovering from Hurricane Debbie, a deadly storm that caused severe flooding from Florida to western New York and Pennsylvania. Last month, Hurricane Beryl—the oldest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic—was linked to more than 20 deaths across Texas and the Caribbean.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, Dayna Voyles-Pulver, USA Today