Ernesto develops into Tropical Storm with 40mph speed, likely to impact Caribbean

The National Hurricane Center at 5 am this morning announced that the centre of Tropical Storm Ernesto was located just 10 miles to the South East of Guadeloupe with the maximum sustained winds being at 40 mph along with occasional higher gusts.

The storm eventually developed into a Tropical Storm in the Atlantic with sustained wind speeds of 40 mph.

Ernesto is expected to impact the Leeward/Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico today but should remain a tropical storm. By Thursday, Ernesto is anticipated to curve up the Atlantic and strengthen into a low-end hurricane.

The NHC said that importantly bands of moderate to strong showers as well as thunderstorms continue to increase surrounding Ernesto.

The centre also anticipated that the countries which are more likely to be impacted directly by the tropical storm winds are St Kitts and Nevis, Saba, St Eustatius, St Croix, St Maarten, St Thomas and Puerto Rico.

Also, all the countries from Dominica northwards will get their fair share of between 2-6 inches of rain raising the prospect of flooding particularly in the low lying countries, added the center.

Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago are already experiencing the impacts of this storm with both the islands seeing heavy rainfall, localised flooding and pools of water on roads since yesterday morning.

The experts are also saying that Ernesto is forecasted to become a hurricane after passing Puerto Rico which required the citizens living in the British Virgin Islands to brace for Tropical Storm Ernesto.

It is being anticipated that the island will be hit by heavy rain, strong winds, storm surge and life threatning surf conditions beginning this evening with potential for hurricane strength by Thursday over the Greater Antilles.

In addition to this, it is also being said that the storm is a potential threat to Bermuda. The Bermuda Weather Service reported that with its closest point of approach to the island within 72 hours anticipated to be 304 nm to the SSW at 6 am on Friday, the system may move closer to the nation after this time period while the rest depends on its track.