A tropical storm warning has been issued for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, and the Leeward Islands.
From Tuesday night through Wednesday, Puerto Rico may experience up to 10 inches of rain, flash flooding, and a storm surge reaching 3 feet.
Ernesto is predicted to intensify into a hurricane as it moves from the Caribbean into the open Atlantic by midweek.
The storm could strengthen further, potentially becoming a Category 2 hurricane as it nears Bermuda late Friday into Saturday morning.
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While Ernesto is expected to cause rough surf and rip currents along the East Coast over the weekend and into next week, it is not anticipated to make landfall on the U.S. mainland.