Tropical Storm Ernesto has formed in the Atlantic. Here’s its most likely path.

Martha Quillin

August 12, 2024 at 11:13 a.m.·1 min read

Tropical Storm Ernesto formed in the Atlantic Monday and is expected to bring heavy rain and strong gusty winds to the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where tropical storm watches are in effect.

The National Hurricane Center said Monday the system likely could reach hurricane strength early Thursday.

It’s the fifth named storm of the season.

A disturbance in the Atlantic will likely become Ernesto, the fifth named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, by Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center says the storm most likely will turn and stay well off the U.S. coast.

Could Ernesto affect North Carolina?

On Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center said the system was more than 800 miles east-southeast of Puerto Rico and moving west at around 26 mph. Forecasters said it would begin moving west-northwest by midweek but that by early Friday, it should turn to the northeast.

That path would keep it out to sea, well away from the U.S. coast.

Most international computer models agree the storm will stay offshore, though two outliers show it going into the Gulf of Mexico and one has it tracking close to the east coast of Florida and moving north.

If the storm follows the Hurricane Center’s forecast it would have little to no impact on North Carolina.

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Could Ernesto affect North Carolina?

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