Gulf Coast possibly in path of growing storm

The storm is predicted to reach Category 3 hurricane status.
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
MIAMI -- Tropical Storm Ernesto grew stronger Saturday night and shifted position, its predicted track moving closer to South Florida and strongly threatening Cuba. It was expected to become a hurricane today and evolve into a major hurricane that imperils the Florida Panhandle.
Though a direct hit on South Florida still seemed unlikely, the Florida Keys fell into the three-day warning area late Saturday, more position shifts were possible and residents throughout the region were advised to remain alert.
Forecasters said that a hurricane hunter aircraft found that Ernesto's center had reformed or moved to the northeast Saturday. That changed its projected track and positioned it for more rapid strengthening.
The Cuban government swiftly issued a hurricane watch for the provinces of Las Tunas, Granma, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo. The Cayman Islands also were under a hurricane watch. Tropical storm warnings or watches covered much of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Strength prediction
More ominously, Ernesto was predicted to grow into a major, Category 3 hurricane by Wednesday. At the same time, long-range projections -- subject to wide margins of error -- shifted eastward all day, finally pointing toward the Florida Panhandle.
And so, forecasters sounded an early alarm: Another major hurricane could threaten the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Last year, Dennis, Katrina and Rita smashed into the upper Gulf Coast as major hurricanes, causing heavy death tolls and massive damage.
"Ernesto could become a potentially dangerous hurricane as it moves across the northwestern Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico," said forecaster Jack Beven of the National Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade County.
First up -- many of the larger islands of the Caribbean.
Up to 12 inches of rain were possible in Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, forecasters said. Tides of three feet above normal were expected in Jamaica and along Haiti's southwestern peninsula.
As the storm advanced toward Jamaica, officials urged residents of coastal and flood-prone areas to seek refuge inland with family and friends or in public shelters.
"We are recommending voluntary evacuations," said Nadene Newsome, spokeswoman for the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management in Kingston, Jamaica. "There are shelters across the island that are being opened."
The main worry, though, began shifting toward Cuba and, then, after Ernesto enters the nourishing waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the upper Florida coast.