Tropical Storm Ernesto is continuing its westward track through the southern Caribbean Saturday, prompting a tropical storm warning for Jamaica.

Meanwhile, a new system, Tropical Storm Florence, has formed in the eastern Atlantic.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, Ernesto's center was about 260 miles south-southwest of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and 435 miles east of Kingston, Jamaica.

Ernesto should move south of Hispaniola Saturday night and be south of Jamaica by Sunday afternoon, forecasters say.

Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 140 miles from the center.

Rainfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches are expected, with isolated higher amounts possible.

Maximum sustained winds were 60 mph. the system is moving west at 18 mph. The National Hurricane Center says this general motion, with a gradual increase in wind speed and a decrease in forward speed is expected during the next 48 hours.

Ernesto will be classified a hurricane when maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph. It is projected to cross the Yucatan Peninsula and into the southern Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical Storm Florence is gaining strength but is far from land Saturday night.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, Florince was 500 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands with sustained winds increasing to 50 mph, according to the hurricane center.

It is moving west-northwest at 15 mph. A gradual turn toward the west at a slower forward speed is forecast for the next couple of days. Some increase in strength is also possible over the next day or two.