Gratuitous Tropical Storm Shot of the Week

Projected 5-day track of Tropical Storm Ernesto as of 2am EST Sunday

As the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, Tropical Storm Ernesto is taking a track not dissimilar to the ferocious Catagory 4 storm that struck the Gulf Coast and New Orleans last August 29, although the Florida panhandle is likely to feel its impact the most.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says that Ernesto will become a Category 1 hurricane, with 74 mile per hour (119 km per hour) winds by Sunday night or Monday morning. Katrina, the costliest U.S. natural disaster ever, devastated New Orleans and killed about 1,500 people.

Ernesto would be the first hurricane of the 2006 season, which runs runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Last year's season was the most active on record, with 15 hurricanes including Katrina.