Ernesto. Central pressure of 997mb. The next big headache for the Gulf Coast?!? Only time will tell.
The ridge currently in place over the gulf that has added in sheering Ernesto a bit and inhibiting his strength is forecast to weaken as the front that is currently bringing the rain/storms to the southern plains will push into the gulf by early in the week. The NHC has its usual host of products available on this storm, including a 5 day cone that would make me shiver if I was in New Orleans:
Most forecasts do not signal any rapid intensification, but it should easily surpass the hurricane threshold prior to crossing the western tip of Cuba with the NHC indicating sustained wind speeds of ~115mph by Day 5 - the end of the forecast cone shown above. What it does after that is the real question, although most models seem to indicate little additional strengthening. All of the Katrina anniversary (Tuesday/Wednesday) news stories will sure have an interesting situation to address.
But if all of this is too confusing to follow, just ignore, as directed by the disclaimer to this product at the top of this post. Maybe I should append this to all of my posts (click to enlarge):
