Storm Watch No. 5.2, 2006: Ernesto Brings Rain But Not Much Else

Tropical Storm Ernesto (now a tropical depression) huff and puffed, but once over South Florida, he mostly just rained.

Back in South Florida, with some squalls still in the region, Ernesto did not deliver much more than widespread rain -- and light rain at that.
''Mother Nature has been very kind,'' said Yolanda Aguilar, West Miami's city manager.

Said Tony Carper, Broward County's emergency management director: "I guess we got lucky.''

No reports of significant damage surfaced. No widespread power outages occurred. One woman was killed in an auto accident linked to the storm, but no other Ernesto-related deaths or serious injuries were reported.

Ernesto is now entering the Atlantic, where it is expected to regain tropical storm strength. The current three-day track has Ernesto's center back over land Thursday night, somewhere along the costal border of North and South Carolina.

It's going to be a wet holiday weekend for much of the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes area. But, except for a few spoiled picnics, that's good news.