Ernesto Crosses Yucatan, Regains Some Power CBSMiami
go to original August 8, 2012

Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook - This product is updated at approximately 5 AM, 11 AM, 5 PM, and 11 PM PDT from June 1 to November 30. (NOAA/National Hurricane Center)

UPDATE:  Tropical Storm Ernesto spun across Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday, then headed into the Gulf of Mexico after forcing the evacuation of thousands of tourists and fishermen from beaches in Tulum and the Costa Maya.

There were no reports of storm deaths or major damage, though Ernesto ripped down billboards, toppled trees and cut electricity as it hit the cruise ship port of Mahahual shortly before midnight Tuesday as a hurricane. It stayed south of the Yucatan's main resorts around Cancun and the Riviera Maya.

Ernesto is once again a Tropical Storm after making landfall in the southern Yucatan Peninsula.

At 8:00 a.m., Ernesto is located about 90 miles south-southeast of Campeche, Mexico.

Maximum sustained winds have dropped back down to 60 mph, with higher guests and the storm is moving to the west at 15 mph.

This general motion is expected to continue during the next day or so. On this forecast track the center of Ernesto will continue to move across the southern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula Wednesday morning and emerge over the Bay of Campeche Wednesday afternoon or evening, according to the National Hurricane Center. Ernesto is forecast to move across the southern portion of the Bay of Campeche Wednesday night and approach the coast of Mexico within the Hurricane Warning area on Thursday.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Barra De Nautla to Coatzacoalcos.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Chetumal to Tulum on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, the entire coast of Belize, Celestun southward, and westward to Coatzacoalcos along the Gulf Coast of Mexico and north of Barra De Nautla to Tuxpan, Mexico.

Ernesto is expected to dump upwards of 4 to 8 inches of rain over Belize, northern Guatemala and the Yucatan Peninsula.

These rains may produce life threatening flash floods and mud slides over higher terrain.

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