REUTERS – Tropical Storm Ernesto strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane and is forecast to move across the Yucatan Peninsula late on Tuesday and early Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory.
Ernesto, the second hurricane of the season, was located about 185 miles (295 km) east of Chetumal, Mexico, packing maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (130 km per hour).
A hurricane warning is in effect for Chetumal to Tulum on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Cozumel and the entire coast of Belize, the Miami-based center said.
Cyclones become named tropical storms when their winds reach more than 39 mph (63 kph). They become hurricanes when winds exceed 74 mph (120 kph).
(Reporting by Soma Das in Bangalore; Editing by Dale Hudson)
