ORLANDO, Fla. -- The latest projected path for Tropical Storm Ernesto shows the storm moving through Central Florida Wednesday, bringing heavy rains and some flooding, according to Local 6 meteorologist Larry Mowry.

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SPECIAL: County-By-County Reports

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"Rain will be our biggest concern with this system," Mowry said. "We are going to be talking about localized flooding in many locations as we are expecting 3 to 5 inches of rain through the day Wednesday and into Wednesday night in our eastern zones, including Brevard, Volusia, Seminole, Orange and eastern Osceola counties."

Cities located to the north of Central Florida should not receive more than 4 inches of rain during the next few days.

The storm did not strengthen Tuesday morning but was expected to grow before striking South Florida.

"As Ernesto tracks into our area, it will weaken a little bit, maybe down to 50 mph winds, taking it right through Osceola County, into Volusia County and then into the Atlantic," Mowry said. "With this forecasted track, if it holds true, we would see the highest wind gusts on the eastern side of Central Florida."

At about 10 a.m. Wednesday, tropical storm-force winds may be in southern Brevard and Osceola counties.

At 2 p.m., Ernesto still had top sustained winds of 45 mph as it moved to the northwest at 13 mph. The center of the system was about 135 miles east-southeast of Key West and about 135 miles south-southeast of Miami as outer rain bands from the storm began to reach south Florida.

It was centered in the Florida Straits in warm open water, about 170 miles southeast of Key West and 180 miles south-southeast of Miami. It is moving west-northwest near 13 mph and could dump five to 15 inches of rain in Florida.

Rain Moves Into The Keys

Rain from Tropical Storm Ernesto has begun to pelt the Florida Keys.

Tropical storm warnings have been extended along the U.S. east coast from the Florida Keys to Altamaha Sound, Georgia. A tropical storm watch was extended along Florida's Gulf coast to Tarpon Springs.

All of Florida's southern half is under either a tropical storm watch or warning.

Gov. Bush: Don't Underestimate Ernesto

Gov. Jeb Bush warned Floridians to take a potential Category 1 hurricane slamming into the state this week seriously and that the state is preparing for a Category 2 storm during a hurricane briefing Monday.

"Hurricanes are hurricanes," Bush said. "We start thinking, 'Well a Category 3 storm -- boy that is bad and I better take this seriously and anything below that, not that important.' That is the wrong attitude. We have been hit by so many hurricanes that I think people start thinking they have the capability of underwriting the risks based on whether the storm is a Category 1, Category 2 or Category 3.

Bush reminded the state that Category 1 Katrina caused problems for the state last year.

"Katrina hit Florida before it hit the Gulf Coast," Bush said. "It was a Category 1 storm -- people died because they were out in the midst of the storm thinking it wasn't a potent storm. It created a lot of hardship for residents of South Florida just as other storms that had been Category 1 had done. We are planning for a Category 2 storm."

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.