This NOAA satellite image taken Sunday, Aug. 05, 2012 at 01:45 AM EDT shows Tropical Storm Ernesto continues moving through the Caribbean Sea. This system is now located about 290 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, with maximum winds up to 60 mph. To the north, thunderstorms activity continues for the Bahamas, Florida and into the Carolinas. An area of low pressure over the region has a low chance of tropical cyclone development, but continues producing widespread showers and thunderstorms.
Fisherman Daniel Edwards bails his small wooden skiff out in Port Royal, a fishing village just outside of Kingston, Jamaica, Sunday Aug. 5, 2012. Tropical Storm Ernesto is pushing for a brush with Jamaica on Sunday.PORT ROYAL, Jamaica – Tropical Storm Ernesto brushed past the Caribbean country’s southern coast Sunday, causing heavy rains but few problems, as it took a path expected to carry it by Honduras and across the Yucatan Peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters at Jamaica’s Meteorological Service said late in the day that the rain was tapering off but light to moderate showers from squalls were still present over most of the island, especially eastern areas.
In Jamaica’s southern capital of Kingston, Ernesto dumped some rain but left no noticeable damage.
Island authorities urged people in flood-prone areas to be on alert and urged fishermen on outlying cays and banks to remain in safe harbors on the main island.
As the storm’s outer bands approached, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller called on all Jamaicans to make the necessary preparations to ensure their safety.