CATEGORY:WEATHER
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By Wallace J.A (Inside Grenada correspondent)


GRENADA (Sunday August 27, 2006) – Tropical Storm Ernesto has recently been upgraded to Hurricane Ernesto, packing winds of 75 mph with higher gusts. This makes Ernesto the first hurricane for the 2006 Atlantic season.

At present, hurricane warnings have been issued for the southern coast of Haiti. A tropical storm warning and hurricane watch is currently in effect for Jamaica and a hurricane watch is in effect for eastern Cuba and the Cayman Islands.

Experts believe that environmental conditions are very favorable for continued development and Ernesto is expected to intensify as it continues to move west-northwestwardly. The hurricane is moving at around 9-mph. with an atmospheric pressure of about 997 mb. It is expected that Haiti and the Dominican Republic will receive torrential rainfall, gusty winds, flash-floods and rough seas later on today with the same conditions affecting Jamaica and Cuba by tonight.

A few days ago, Barbados, Grenada and some of the Windward Islands would have received some heavy rainfall and strong winds from this system as it moved over the islands. Grenada is not under any threat whatsoever from this hurricane since it is now located 210 SSE of Guantanamo, Cuba.