Storm Watch: Ernesto Fizzles, then Strengthens over Gulf Stream; John Threatens in the Pacific

The hurricane watch for Tropical Storm Ernesto in Florida thankfully failed to materialize anything beyond some high winds and heavy rains this week. Passing over the Miami area from Tuesday night through Wednesday, the storm dumped at least 5 inches of rain in southern Florida and spurred the major ports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale to close down as a precaution.

Taking no chances, Florida Governor Jeb Bush issued a state of emergency last Sunday for all of Florida. Ernesto had achieved hurricane strength winds on Sunday, but then weakened as it headed north. The storm pounded Haiti and the Dominican Republic and brought as much as 20 inches of rain to parts of Haiti, where it claimed at least one life. The danger is apparently not over. After passing through Florida, the storm has quickly regained tropical storm strength over the Gulf Stream waters and is expected to impact the Carolinas and Virginia with heavy rains before heading up the eastern seaboard.

In Florida, the U.S. Coast Guard COTP closed the southern ports of Miami, Port Everglades, Palm Beach and Fort Pierce Indian River Terminal in advance of the storm. Port Canaveral was also closed. In Jacksonville, a decision to keep the port open - with some restrictions - was made because the declining strength and track of the storm as it passed northern Florida. All Florida ports are now open in the wake of the storm, with both Port Canaveral and Jacksonville receiving clearance for normal operations at 1000 hours on Thursday morning, according to Coast Guard spokesperson Donny Brzuska.

In a surprising turn of events, Tropical Storm Ernesto then picked up steam in the warm waters of the Atlantic and built toward hurricane strength Thursday as it moved toward the Carolinas, forcing the closing of ports. In Virginia, a state of emergency was declared and a hurricane watch was issued for the northern half of the South Carolina coast and the southern portion of the North Carolina shore. Ernesto was expected to come ashore late Thursday near the South Carolina-North Carolina line.

In the eastern Pacific Ocean, Hurricane John achieved category 3 status with top sustained winds of 125 mph. It was, on Thursday morning, heading toward the west-northwest and was located about 70 miles WSW of Manzanillo, Mexico. The storm was expected to track parallel to the Mexican Coast and remain offshore, but also bring hurricane-force winds and serious flooding inshore. Forecasters warned that even a slight change in course could bring the dangerous storm onshore.