Cuba on alert for tropical storm Ernesto

Experts from the Cuban Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) are following closely the movement of tropical storm Ernesto, which was advancing westwards from south of Lesser Antilles and was expected to bear down on the Caribbean Sea on Friday. By dawn, Ernesto's maximum sustained winds decreased to 46 mph (74 kph), with some higher wind gusts, the institute said. In the next 24 or 48 hours, experts said, Ernesto is expected to continue moving west while decreasing its speed. Current forecasts show it would possibly strengthen into a hurricane as it reaches the western Caribbean sea, the experts said. The institute chief of forecasts, Jose Rubiera, said Ernesto could pass south of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.