Tropical depression forms near Caribbean

Posted on Fri, Aug. 25, 2006

HURRICANE SEASON
Tropical depression forms near Caribbean
BY MARTIN MERZER
mmerzer@MiamiHerald.com

A tropical depression likely to become Tropical Storm Ernesto by today
could require close monitoring by residents of Jamaica and Cuba,
forecasters said.

It posed no immediate threat to South Florida, though any system that
develops in that region should be watched. The storm could become a
hurricane by Sunday.

''Any time there is a developing system southeast of us during the peak
of the hurricane season, we need to watch it,'' said Max Mayfield,
director of the National Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade County.

Tropical Depression 5 formed Thursday near the outer ring of Caribbean
islands, bringing strong squalls to residents of Grenada, Barbados and
other islands.

Initial long-range forecasts, subject to wide margins of error,
suggested that the storm would track through the Caribbean and possibly
into the Gulf of Mexico.

That could make it an issue for residents of Jamaica, Cuba and the
Cayman Islands by Sunday, and still undetermined areas to the north or
west by Tuesday.

Forecasters cautioned Floridians against drawing premature conclusions,
but they noted that -- after a relatively slow start -- the hurricane
season was heating up right on schedule.

Much farther out to sea, Tropical Storm Debby remained a threat only to
ships in the distant Atlantic Ocean. It was not expected to reach any
land masses.

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