Hurricane warnings were issued today for the eastern coast of Florida as forecasters viewed tropical storm Ernesto as likely to intensify as it passed Cuba into warmer waters.
Hurricane Ernesto was downgraded to tropical storm status as it hit Cuba after reaching hurricane status for a period over the weekend.
At its height, the first Atlantic hurricane of the season reached Category 1 status on the Saffir/Simpson scale with sustained winds of 75 mph.
The storm passed the tip of Haiti, going over central and eastern Cuba, the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center said.
A hurricane watch is in effect from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., south through the Florida Keys.
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has already declared a state of emergency and ordered the National Guard to be ready. So far, no evacuation orders have been issued, but residents have been advised to monitor the situation closely.
The Weather Service's three-day prediction map forecast calls for Ernesto to regain strength to hurricane status sometime Wednesday morning as it moves along the coast of Florida.
Steve Drews, lead meteorologist and associate vice president for Aon Impact Forecasting Group, a subsidiary of Chicago-based insurance broker Aon, said the various models predict the warm waters north of Cuba would strengthen Ernesto to Category 1 status as it approaches Florida.
Where it goes from there remains a question and depends upon how close to land the storm moves as it skirts the coastline, he said.
The storm could move off the coast, stall and gain more strength before striking South Carolina, or move more inland into the Ohio Valley, bringing lots of rain and causing floods.
Ernesto, he noted, is moving at a fairly normal speed, but its path and potential strength will remain uncertain until later in the week.
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