Ernesto becomes year's first hurricane

Tropical storm Ernesto intensified into the first hurricane of the year today as its top sustained winds rose to 75 miles per…

Tropical storm Ernesto intensified into the first hurricane of the year today as its top sustained winds rose to 75 miles per hour, the US National Hurricane Centre said.

The potentially dangerous storm was about 120 miles (193 kilometres) south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and was a Category 1 storm on the five-stage Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter