Tropical Storm Ernesto Brings « Flooding Rain » to Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands as It Approaches Hurricane Status

Tropical Storm Ernesto A few days later, it was passing through the Caribbean early Wednesday morning Debbie He ended his journey on the East Coast of America. Ernesto was expected to become a hurricane sometime Wednesday morning north of Puerto Rico, where the National Hurricane Center warned it could bring « heavy rain. »

As of 8 a.m. ET, Ernesto was still at tropical storm strength, barely. The National Hurricane Center reported the storm's sustained winds with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Cyclone status, as measured by Saffir-Simpson wind scalePronounced when winds are between 74 and 95 mph. It doesn't account for a hurricane's size, speed, rainfall or storm surge, all of which pose additional risks.

Ernesto is expected to become a hurricane late Wednesday and « may become a major hurricane within two days, » forecasters said. The main hurricane is Category 3, or 111 mph winds.

President Biden approved Emergency notification As for Puerto Rico, the White House on Tuesday night authorized FEMA to help with storm recovery.

« On the forecast track, » the Miami-based hurricane center said, « Ernesto's center will move northward from Puerto Rico through today. Ernesto should move over the western Atlantic later in the week and approach Bermuda on Saturday. »

A tropical storm warning is in effect for the US and British Virgin Islands, as well as Puerto Rico and its islands of Vieques and Culebra. An earlier hurricane watch for the BVI was discontinued, and Bermuda should monitor the storm's progress, forecasters said.

CBS News senior weather and climate producer David Parkinson said Wednesday that although Ernesto is dozens of miles from Puerto Rico, its trailing edge is « still hammering the island with heavy rain. »

The storm is expected to dump 4 to 6 inches of rain in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and up to 10 inches across southeastern Puerto Rico, the hurricane center said. By Wednesday morning, more than half a foot of rain had fallen in Culebra and Vieques « with a couple of inches to go, » Parkinson noted.

That much rainfall overflows the rivers. Puerto Rico's Rio Grande de Loyza « could overflow its banks » in the next few hours, Parkinson said, adding that elsewhere on the island, « the path of the Rio Blanco became parabolic this morning, going from 6 to 16 feet within 90 minutes. »

« The positive news is that the river has risen almost as quickly and is below 10 feet, » Parkinson said. « It's going to be an island-wide story. Rivers don't stay above flood stage for very long, but they do cause minor, major flooding. »

While the U.S. mainland is largely outside of Ernesto's danger zone, Parkinson said it could bring rip currents and large waves to the coast. The Northeast could see 8-foot waves through the weekend and the Carolinas — still recovering from Tropical Storm Debbie — could see a swell starting tomorrow.

Ernesto marks the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season so far, which has already been proven History after Beryl reached record strength Above average temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico at the beginning of the season. NOAA predicts an above-normal season with 17-25 named storms, eight to 13 hurricanes and four to seven major hurricanes.

A fifth named storm usually doesn't form until then August 22According to NOAA.