HispanicBusiness

Tropical Storm Ernesto put Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on a hurricane watch Monday, according to the Miami-based US National Hurricane Centre (NHC).

Ernesto was expected to pass "near or just north of the coast of Honduras" later Monday, the NHC said in its latest report.

The tropical storm was located 235 kilometres east of Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Nicaraguan-Honduran border, and 610 kilometres east of Roatan, in Honduras's Bay Islands. Ernesto featured sustained winds of up to 85 kilometres per hour with higher gusts and was moving west at 19 kilometres per hour.

"On the forecast track, the centre of Ernesto is expected to move near or just north of the north coast of Honduras tonight and Tuesday and approach the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula Tuesday night," the NHC said.

It noted that the storm was expected to strengthen somewhat within the next 36-48 hours.

The ongoing hurricane season in the Atlantic started on June 1 and is set to end November 30.