Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico brace for potential storm

Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands have been placed on a tropical storm watch as potential tropical cyclone five makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean.

Also under a tropical storm watch are Guadeloupe, St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Saba, St Eustatius, St Martin and St Barthelemy.

At 5am on August 12, potential tropical cyclone five was located 1,040 kilometres east-south-east of Antigua.

The disturbance is moving toward the west near 25 mph (41 km/h) with maximum sustained winds that are around 30 mph (45 km/h).

The US National Hurricane Centre has forecast that the disturbance will become a tropical depression later today and achieve tropical storm strength as it nears the Leeward Islands on Tuesday. 

If the system becomes a tropical storm, it will be called Ernesto.

On the forecast track, the disturbance is expected to move across portions of the Leeward Islands on Tuesday and approach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by the evening.