Tropical Storm Ernesto Becomes Hurricane

Tropical Storm Ernesto strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Sunday as it steamed toward Haiti's southern coast, becoming the first hurricane of the 2006 Atlantic season.

The storm's maximum sustained winds increased to 75 mph, just above the threshold for a hurricane, said the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Ernesto could grow into a Category 3 hurricane by Thursday, menacing a broad swath of the Gulf Coast including hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, the hurricane center said earlier. Category 3 Hurricane Katrina struck the city a year ago Tuesday.

Hurricane Ernesto, Storm Warning, One Year Later

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