Tropical Storm Ernestois expected to become a hurricane by Tuesday evening as it churns through the southern Caribbean toward the Yucatan Peninsula, forecasters said.

The Mexican and Belizean governments issued hurricane warnings Monday as the storm advanced.

In Nicaragua, government officials said they were evacuating about 1,500 people in coastal areas and had banned boats from setting sail.

As of late Monday, the storm was about 265 miles (425 kilometers) east of Isla Roatan in Honduras, the National Hurricane Center reported. Ernesto was moving west-northwest at 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. Its bands stretched 125 miles (205 kilometers) from the storm's center, the service said.