Florida - Tuesday August 13, 2024: Tropical Storm Ernesto will create increasingly hazardous sea conditions for boaters offshore, and beachgoers along the east coast of Florida later this week.
As of Tuesday morning Ernesto remains a tropical storm. It continues on a track towards Puerto Rico where it's projected to begin to turn north on Wednesday morning. As it re-curves into the Atlantic it will slow down, gain strength and become a hurricane, perhaps by Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Ernesto is forecast to remain well east of Florida, however increasing swells late this week into the weekend will pose a heightened risk for rough surf and dangerous rip currents.
The National Weather Service in Melbourne (NWS) warns that boating conditions will continue to deteriorate offshore, becoming more hazardous as the weekend approaches. Boaters may also experience hazardous conditions near inlets, especially during the outgoing tide due to the long period swells.
The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a statement warning about the same conditions and cautioning recreational boaters, fishermen, beachgoers and water sports enthusiasts "to not conduct activities in the water due to deteriorating sea state conditions and dangerous rip currents associated with Tropical Storm Ernesto."