Tropical Storm Ernesto Weakens Over Florida, Will Hit Carolinas

Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Tropical Storm Ernesto may weaken to a depression while crossing the Florida peninsula today before hitting the open waters of the Atlantic, where it will get stronger as it heads for the Carolinas.

Ernesto's center was over eastern Collier County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east-southeast of Naples as of 8 a.m., the National Hurricane Center said. The system was moving north at about 8 miles per hour (13 kilometers per hour), the center said. The storm crossed Florida's Upper Keys before coming ashore in southwestern Miami-Dade County before 2 a.m. local time.