KINGSTON, Jamaica —
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.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Ernesto was expected to swirl by south of Jamaica as a hurricane this evening. The forecast projected the storm would move over the coastal resorts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday.
Long lines formed at grocery stores in the Jamaican capital of Kingston as people bought water, bread and canned goods.
“We’re going to have heavy rains, so I’m stocking up,” said Marco Brown, a Kingston resident in his late 50s.
The Jamaican government ordered fishermen who live in outlying cays to evacuate and head to the main island. The storm was expected to pass close to Pedro Cays on Sunday evening, according to the local Meteorological Service Office.
The storm earlier forced Dominica to close its airport for two days, and St. Lucia ordered shops to close for several hours, but no damage or flooding was reported on islands affected by the storm.
The U.S. hurricane center said Ernesto had maximum sustained winds of about 60 mph (95 kph) late Saturday afternoon. It was about 495 miles (800 kilometers) east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and was moving westward at 18 mph (30 kph).
Meanwhile, a new tropical storm, Florence, formed far out in the Atlantic. It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was about 515 miles (830 kilometers) west of the Cape Verde Islands. The hurricane center said it was not expected to reach hurricane force as it moved generally westward.
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Related Photos
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This NOAA satellite image taken Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012 at 01:45 AM EDT shows Tropical Storm Ernesto over the southeastern Caribbean Sea. In addition, showers and thunderstorms are noted from central Cuba northward over the central and northwestern Bahamas. The Associated Press
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Tropical Storm Ernesto heads toward Jamaica
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