Aug. 24, 2006 — With the Windward Islands getting pounded by high winds and heavy rain, the National Hurricane Center called the storm Tropical Depression 5 at its 5 p.m. update Thursday.
"You should see a decent amount of showers, and there's a chance for 35- to 40-mph wind gusts," meteorologist Scott Stripling said from the National Weather Service office in San Juan.
He said the storm should pass about 200 miles south of St. Croix Thursday night and early Friday.
At 5 p.m., Tropical Depression 5 was centered at 12.9 degrees north latitude and 62.4 degrees west longitude.
Winds had reached 35 mph, with gusts to 40 mph.
It is moving to the west at 21 mph.
The barometric pressure stands at 1009 millibars or 29.73 inches.
Tropical Depression 5 is forecast to become Tropical Storm Ernesto with the next 12 hours. Stripling said forecasters think it will pass south of Jamaica and clip the northeast tip of the Yucatan Peninsula before heading into the Gulf of Mexico.
Meanwhile Tropical Storm Debby continues to churn far out in the Atlantic Ocean, posing no threat to the Virgin Islands. At 5 p.m., it was located 1,080 miles northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. At 21.3 degrees north latitude, it was already centered well north of the V.I. latitude.
The coordinates for St. Thomas are 18.3 degrees north latitude and 65 degrees west longitude. For St. Croix, they're 17.7 degrees north latitude and 64.8 degrees west longitude. St. John's coordinates are 18.2 degrees north and 64.5 degrees south longitude.
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