Florida storm threat diminishes

Tourists and non-residents were told to leave the Florida Keys

Forecasters believe Florida will escape major damage from a weakening Tropical Storm Ernesto, but warn it could later strengthen and threaten other states.

The storm has made landfall about 60 miles (97km) south-west of Miami and was expected to move through the area as a weak tropical storm.

But it might regain strength once it moves over the Atlantic, experts said.

Meanwhile, on the Pacific coast, the more powerful Hurricane John is thought likely to gather pace just off Mexico.

The category three hurricane does not look likely to hit land imminently, but may increase even further in strength, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Heavy rain fell on southern and western Mexico, but at 1700 local time (midnight GMT) the eye of the storm was 115 miles (185km) south of Acapulco, moving slowly west-north-west.

As a homeowner, I'm very happy - as a forecaster, I'm not very happy Max Mayfield National Hurricane Center director

Tropical Storm Ernesto had begun intensifying after leaving Cuba and heading towards southern Florida, where forecasters predicted it could come ashore at hurricane strength, and authorities introduced a state of emergency.

However, on Tuesday evening, the NHC changed its forecast.

"Frankly, I am surprised it has not strengthened," said Max Mayfield, NHC director.

"But for all those thousands and thousands of people with blue-tarped roofs, that's good news.

"As a homeowner, I'm very happy. As a forecaster, I'm not very happy."

Ernesto was briefly the year's first hurricane

When it looked like heavy rain would be the biggest problem, Monroe County emergency management director Irene Toner said: "This is great. Compared to what it could have been, we are fortunate."

Residents had stocked up on supplies and tourists had been ordered out of the Florida Keys.

The storm's arrival coincided with the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which battered the US Gulf Coast and flooded most of New Orleans, killing 1,500 people.

Ernesto arrived at the Florida peninsula around 2330 local time (0330 GMT).

The NHC said it was expected to move up the middle of the state and exit on the north-east coast by early Thursday.

It might then reach hurricane strength before hitting Georgia or the Carolinas, the centre said.

Shuttle launch axed

Nasa has cancelled Tuesday's planned blast-off of the space shuttle Atlantis from the Kennedy Space Center on south-eastern Florida's Atlantic coast because of the storm.

Ernesto was briefly the year's first hurricane on Sunday when its winds reached 75mph before it weakened over the mountains of Haiti.

The storm killed at least two people in Haiti before striking Cuba, where it dropped up to 7in (18cm) of rain before fading into showers and thunderstorms.

Many of the 600,000 Cubans who were evacuated before the storm returned home after Ernesto passed, and there were no initial reports of deaths or serious damage.