BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — The centre of Tropical Storm Ernesto is currently near the French island of Guadeloupe and the Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (mph).

Gradual strengthening is expected during the next few days, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest weather bulletin.

It further advised that Ernesto could reach hurricane strength by Thursday over the waters north of the Greater Antilles.

The fifth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane, Ernesto is located 10 miles southeast of Guadeloupe and is moving forward towards the west near 20 mph.

Tropical Storm warnings are in effect for St Kitts-Nevis, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda,  Anguilla, Guadeloupe, St Martin and St Barthelemy, Saint Maarten, the British Virgin Islands, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The NHC said that the centre of Tropical Storm Ernesto was located near latitude 16.2 North, longitude 61.3 West and that a west-northwestward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected during the next day or so.

“On the forecast track, Ernesto is expected to move across portions of the Leeward Islands this morning and near or over the US and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by this evening.  After passing Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Ernesto is forecast to turn northward over the western Atlantic.”

The NHC said maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts and Tropical Storm Ernesto is expected to produce total rain accumulations of four to six inches over portions of the Leeward and Virgin Islands. Elsewhere in the Caribbean, Tropical Storm Ernesto is expected to produce rain accumulations of one to four inches over the Windward Islands through Friday morning.

Antigua and Barbuda officials have since announced the closure of the VC Bird International Airport until later on Tuesday. Public sector workers on the island will also stay away from work on Tuesday.