CORAL GABLES (LALATE) – A Hurricane Ernesto 2012 projected path will include Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, the NHC told news today. Hurricane Ernesto is heading for the Yucatan Peninsula, officials warned residents today. But tonight, it could be off the coast of Honduras.

Hurricane Ernesto is taking form today after days of doubt whether the tropical storm would ever increase in intensity. In a news statement out the National Hurricane Center in Miami today, officials warned that “Ernesto could become a hurricane tonight”. The storm is currently moving sixty-five mph and is shifting at about 290 degrees northwest. Officials, however, do not expect any change in its intensity or movement.

The future hurricane is currently northeast of Cabo Gracias a Dios and east of Isla Roatan in Honduras.  NHC told news Monday that a hurricane warning is in effect for Chetmual to Punta Allen on the east coast of the Yucatan. In contrast, a hurricane watch is in effect for the entire coast of Belize.

Rainfall will also jump over night. Sections of the region will experience four to eight inches while isolated sections could experience twelve inches. “These rains are likely to cause dangerous flash floods and mud slides over the higher terrain”, NHC tells news.