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Atlantic’s fifth named storm Ernesto to turn hurricane as it heads for Bermuda

Riviera Maya, Q.R. — The Atlantic’s fifth named storm of the year is forecast to gain category 2 strength before making landfall at Bermuda. The system, which developed last last week, quickly became organized into a tropical system that had an initial trajectory for the Caribbean Sea.

However, over the weekend, the National Hurricane Centre (NOAA) updated that trajectory to take a hard right upward turn into the North Atlantic. The Centre is issuing Tropical Storm Ernesto advisories for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands before taking the turn.

Ernesto is currently east of the Leeward Islands after developing into a tropical storm Monday near the Lesser Antilles. During its travels as a tropical system, Ernesto will make landfall with heavy rain and strong winds that could result in coastal flooding across the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico Wednesday.

From there, Ernesto’s trajectory is forecast to take a hard right into the North Atlantic where it will gain strength into a category 2 hurricane before hitting Bermuda this weekend. According to the NOAA, Ernesto will remain a tropical storm until Thursday afternoon when it will gain hurricane strength.

By late Friday, Hurricane Ernesto is expected to have gained category 2 strength as it reaches the island of Bermuda Saturday.

Last week, Quintana Roo authorities had begun preliminary preparations for the likely arrival of a system that was headed for the coast, however, that system dissipated as it neared Caribbean waters. There are currently no other developing systems being monitored in the Atlantic Basin.