U.S. & World News

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) ― Gathering strength over the central Caribbean, Tropical Storm Ernesto headed toward Jamaica on Saturday and threatened to enter the Gulf of Mexico within days as the first hurricane of the 2006 Atlantic season.

Ernesto, packing 50 mph winds, was projected to reach hurricane strength by Tuesday but it was too soon to predict whether it would hit the United States, said Michael Brennan, a meteorologist with the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

"People should pay attention, especially people on the Gulf coast," Brennan said. "We're in the middle of hurricane season and it's a good time for people to update their hurricane plans."

Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, which both stood in the storm's path, issued hurricane watches, meaning severe conditions including winds of at least 74 mph were possible over the next 48 hours. Tropical storm warnings also were in effect for Jamaica and Haiti's southern coast.

Ernesto was on a course that would bring it over Jamaica by Sunday afternoon, dumping 4 to 8 inches of rain on the island with up to a foot possible in some areas, the hurricane center said. Fisherman were warned to return to shore and Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller met with disaster agencies to prepare.

Jamaica issued advisories by radio and television for residents in low-lying areas across the island to be prepared to evacuate if necessary.

"We are concerned about the flood risk to parishes that were affected in the past, so that is the major concern right now," said Nadine Newsome, a spokeswoman for the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.

At 11 a.m. Saturday, Ernesto had maximum sustained winds near 50 mph with higher gusts. The fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was centered 250 miles southwest of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and 420 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.

The storm was moving northwest at nearly 14 mph. It was expected to bring 3 to 4 inches of rain to Haiti and the Dominican Republic as it passed south of Hispaniola.

People were advised to complete their weather preparations on Saturday.

Jacky Kennett, who moved to the Cayman Islands with her family from Britain a year ago, was preparing for what could be her first hurricane.

"I went and put fuel in the car, got some money out of the bank, and stopped at the grocery store yesterday to stock up," said Kennett, 47. "I don't want to overreact or anything, but I am worried."

Fears that the storm could damage offshore energy facilities in the Gulf of Mexico sent oil and natural-gas prices higher. Oil producers operating in the Gulf said they were prepared to evacuate nonessential personnel if needed.

Max Mayfield, the National Hurricane Center director, said it was too early to say whether the storm would hit the U.S. Gulf Coast, which is still recovering from last year's Hurricane Katrina.

"It's too early to pinpoint one specific location but I think message is, especially to the folks that are in temporary housing, these 115,000 families mostly in the FEMA trailers, they need to watch this carefully," Mayfield told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "We've got some time. We don't want people to get too excited about this, but they certainly need to be watching it."

Meanwhile, former Tropical Storm Debby, now a depression with maximum winds of 30 mph, was expected to stay over the open Atlantic, posing only a threat to ships. At 11 a.m., the center of the storm was about 1,465 miles west-southwest of the Azores.

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)