MIAMI, (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Ernesto swept over the tiny island of St Lucia today and could strengthen into a hurricane as it races westward across the Caribbean Sea, forecasters said.
The storm formed 295 miles (475 km) east of the Windward Islands and was moving rapidly west at 21 miles per hour (33 kph). Ernesto is not expected to threaten any other islands for the next two days and could reach hurricane force sometime on Monday south-west of Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph(85 kph) with gusts up to 63 mph (102 kph) on Friday and would become a hurricane if those swirling winds reach 74 mph (119 kph).
There were no immediate reports of storm damage in St Lucia.
Tropical storm warnings were lifted for the islands of St Lucia, Dominica, Martinique and Guadeloupe late this morning. Forecasters warned island residents to expect large waves and 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) of rain, with 5 inches(nearly 13 cm) in isolated areas.
Several computer forecasting models showed it moving through or near the Yucatan Channel into the southern Gulf of Mexico in the middle of next week. It was too early to know whether Ernesto could disrupt oil and gas operations clustered in the Gulf.
August and September are usually the most active months of the Atlantic-Caribbean hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
“It’s our first system coming out of the deep tropics this year, so maybe it’s a good time for people to review their preparedness plans as we’re getting into the part of the season where things normally begin to get a little more active,” said David Zelinsky, a meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center.
