One week after Hurricane Debby made landfall near Steinhatchee and caused widespread flooding across Florida, the National Hurricane Center is tracking what it forecasts to become the next hurricane by the end of the week.
The system is taking a similar track to Debby, but forecasters say it is expected to turn to the north and away from the U.S.
Potential Tropical Cyclone 5 formed over the weekend in the Atlantic.
A tropical storm watch has been issued for Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, and the system could become a tropical depression by Monday.
As of early Monday, it was about 940 miles east of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and moving to the west at 25 mph.
On its current track, it’s expected to approach Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands by Tuesday night.
What’s forecast to become Tropical Storm Ernesto — and eventually a Category 2 hurricane by the end of the week — will then turn to the north and track toward Bermuda, away from the U.S. coast.