US issues hurricane warning for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

• The US Issues Hurricane Alert for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
• Tropical Storm Ernesto Strengthens
• Very Active Hurricane Season

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a hurricane alert this Tuesday, August 13.

This alert covers the Virgin Islands as well as the Puerto Rican islands of Vieques and Culebra.

As it approaches these areas, Tropical Storm Ernesto has strengthened slightly.

The NHC also emphasized that tropical storm alerts remain in place for other parts of the Caribbean.

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In addition to the hurricane alert for the Virgin Islands, Vieques, and Culebra, the US has issued a tropical storm alert for:

St. Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Antigua, Barbuda, and Anguilla, Guadeloupe, and St. Martin and St. Barts, according to the NHC’s 11:00 AM local time bulletin.

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At that time, the tropical storm was located about 250 kilometers (155 miles) east-southeast of Santa Cruz.

Also, about 405 kilometers (250 miles) east-southeast of San Juan (Puerto Rico).

Ernesto has maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour (50 miles) and is moving west-northwest at 30 kilometers per hour (18 miles).

According to the forecasted trajectory, the center of Ernesto is expected to pass near or over the Virgin Islands tonight.

Then, just northeast and north of Puerto Rico tonight and Wednesday.

Ernesto is then expected to move over the western Atlantic later in the week (US issues hurricane alert).

US Issues Hurricane Alert: So far this hurricane season in the Atlantic basin, which began on June 1, five tropical storms have formed.

Of these, Beryl and Debby have strengthened into hurricanes. Beryl even reached the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale, category five.

This Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be one of the most active and intense in decades.

According to Efe, up to 25 storms and 13 hurricanes could form.

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