Ernesto soaks PR on path to Jamaica
By CB Online Staff
Issued : Saturday, August 4, 2012 09:11 AM
Tropical Storm Ernesto blew across open waters Saturday on a
projected path that would skirt Jamaica and hit Mexico after dumping heavy rain
on islands in the eastern Caribbean.
Ernesto was passing about 300 miles south of Puerto Rico but outer bands of
the tropical storm was forecast to continue to affect Caribbean waters and the
Mona Passage as well as parts of the islands from time to time through at least
this Saturday afternoon.
Outer rain of this system will be accompanied of strong gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall. Winds will remain mainly from the southeast at 15 to 25 mph with higher gusts up to 40 mph near the thunderstorms. Squally conditions and hazardous seas can be expected across all of the coastal waters through at least tonight, said the National Weather Service in San Juan.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Ernesto was expected to roll south of Jamaica as a hurricane Sunday afternoon. The forecast would carry it into the coastal resorts of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday.
On Friday, Dominica closed its international airport for a second day, while St. Lucia ordered businesses to close for half the day as Ernesto swept through the area. A ferry that travels to Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique and St. Lucia also temporarily suspended service.
No damage or flooding was reported on islands affected by the storm.
The hurricane center said Ernesto had maximum sustained winds of about 60 mph (95 kph) early Saturday. It was about 305 miles (490 kilometers) south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was moving westward at 18 mph (30 kph).
Meanwhile, a new tropical storm, Florence, formed further out in the Atlantic. It had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was about 330 miles (530 kilometers) west of the Cape Verde Islands. The National Hurricane Center said it was not expected to reach hurricane force as it marches generally westward.
http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=74887&ct_id=1&ct_name=1
Outer rain of this system will be accompanied of strong gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall. Winds will remain mainly from the southeast at 15 to 25 mph with higher gusts up to 40 mph near the thunderstorms. Squally conditions and hazardous seas can be expected across all of the coastal waters through at least tonight, said the National Weather Service in San Juan.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Ernesto was expected to roll south of Jamaica as a hurricane Sunday afternoon. The forecast would carry it into the coastal resorts of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday.
On Friday, Dominica closed its international airport for a second day, while St. Lucia ordered businesses to close for half the day as Ernesto swept through the area. A ferry that travels to Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique and St. Lucia also temporarily suspended service.
No damage or flooding was reported on islands affected by the storm.
The hurricane center said Ernesto had maximum sustained winds of about 60 mph (95 kph) early Saturday. It was about 305 miles (490 kilometers) south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was moving westward at 18 mph (30 kph).
Meanwhile, a new tropical storm, Florence, formed further out in the Atlantic. It had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was about 330 miles (530 kilometers) west of the Cape Verde Islands. The National Hurricane Center said it was not expected to reach hurricane force as it marches generally westward.
http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=74887&ct_id=1&ct_name=1
