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Tropical storm Ernesto maintained its winds at 65 miles per hour (mph) as it continues to approach northeastern Puerto Rico, where it is expected to become a hurricane early Wednesday morning.

According to the special report from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), at 11:00 p.m. the tropical storm was at latitude 18.8 north, longitude 65.3 west and slightly reduced its west-northwestward motion to about 17 mph.

Winds from this tropical system extend about 125 miles outward from the center of the storm.

Likewise, the NHC issued a hurricane warning that remains in effect for Vieques and Culebra, which means that hurricane conditions are possible for the island municipalities in the next 12 hours.

“It still remains a tropical storm crossing over Vieques or Culebra and passing over northeastern Puerto Rico... It is still expected in terms of winds, impact of tropical storm winds, mostly in the eastern half of Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra,” reported the meteorologist of the National Weather Service (NWS), Cecille Villanueva, in an interview with El Nuevo Día.

“In the mountainous areas, the effect of the wind definitely increases... so wind gusts a little higher than expected in the coastal areas will be felt. However, the greatest risk is still the rain that is expected with this system”, she added.

This atmospheric phenomenon is expected to leave between three to six inches of rain, with maximum amounts of 10 inches.

According to Villanueva, the areas most affected by the rain impacts could be the eastern and southeastern areas of the island as well as mountainous areas.

During the press conference offered by the governor at 5:00 p.m., NWS warning coordinator Ernesto Morales assured that tropical storm Ernesto is a system that is in full development and has shown signs of intensifying. In effect, Morales assured that it is expected to be classified as a category 1 hurricane once it is north of Puerto Rico.

“We are going to be exposed, especially, in the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra, to sustained strong tropical storm winds. Us, on the big island, are going to be experiencing, especially in the east, strong tropical storm winds but we could also have hurricane wind gusts,” the meteorologist explained.

“As the system moves north of the island, we will continue to experience the rainbands that are already affecting Puerto Rico. These bands will become more frequent and more intense, and that is when we will be feeling the strong winds,” he added.

However, Morales acknowledged that as the system moves northward, we will be affected by the weakest part of the system.

“Even so, there is a potential for strong winds over the island,” he warned.

At 8:00 p.m. the center of Ernesto was positioned at latitude 18.4 north, longitude 64.7 west and it was moving west-northwestward at 18 mph.

At 5:00 p.m. the system was at latitude 18.0 north, longitude 64.1 west and was moving west-northwestward at 18 mph.

At 2:00 p.m., the storm was located at latitude 17.5 north, longitude 63.5 west.

At 11:00 a.m., Ernesto was at latitude 16.9 north, longitude 62.6 west and was maintaining a translational motion of 18 mph while moving west-northwest.

At 8:00 a.m., a hurricane hunter aircraft positioned Ernesto at latitude 16.6 north, longitude 61.9 west as it continued its westward path at a translational speed of 18 mph. Tropical storm winds extend about 70 mph outward from the center.

At 5:00 a.m., the center of the tropical storm was at latitude 16.2 north and longitude 61.3 west with a westward translational motion at about 20 mph.

“A west-northwestward motion is expected with some decrease in forward speed over the next day or so,” reads the report.

The NHC forecast details that Ernesto would move across the Leeward Islands (northern Lesser Antilles) during Tuesday morning and near or over Puerto Rico overnight.

The storm will also raise sea levels around the island by one to three feet.

The next interim report will be issued at 2:00 p.m. while the next full report will be issued at 5:00 p.m.

Follow our minute-by-minute reporting:

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.