This is a News Item on Sub-Tropical Storm Ernesto issued by The Bahamas Department of Meteorology Foreceast Office at 6PM, WEDNESDAY, 15TH AUGUST, 2018.

…ERNESTO IS MOVING NORTHWARDS OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC …

AT 5PM DST, THE CENTER OF SUB-TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 39.0°NORTH AND LONGITUDE 45.7° WEST OR ABOUT 1045 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CAPE RACE, NEWFOUNDLAND.

ERNESTO IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 9 MILES PER HOUR. A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST IS FORECAST TONIGHT AND A FASTER NORTHEASTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED BY LATE THURSDAY AND SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 40 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A POST-TROPICAL THURSDAY NIGHT OR EARLY FRIDAY AND MERGE WITH A FRONTAL ZONE NEAR IRELAND AND THE UNITED KINGDOM ON SATURDAY.

THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 6AM THURSDAY.

PREPARED BY FORECASTER: GREGORY D THOMPSON (SMO)