The powerful Category 2 hurricane could strengthen further while over the Atlantic Friday before reaching Bermuda early Saturday.
The center of the hurricane will track near or over Bermuda on Saturday but powerful wind gusts and heavy rain will arrive earlier.
Dangerous storm surge and significant coastal flooding will also unfold as Ernesto makes its closest approach to the island Saturday.
Beyond Bermuda, Ernesto will pass close to Atlantic Canada early next week and potentially bring some rain, wind and rough seas.
More than half a foot of rain drenched much of Puerto Rico and caused widespread flash flooding.
Ernesto, which devastated Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and left hundreds of thousands without power, is about to strike Bermuda and is increasing coastal danger along much of the US Eastern Seaboard.
When it crosses the Atlantic on Friday, the potent Category 2 hurricane may intensify even more before making landfall in Bermuda early on Saturday. For the island, there is a hurricane warning in effect.
The exceptionally warm Atlantic waters that fueled Ernesto’s strength late this week are a phenomenon that is becoming more common as a result of global warming from fossil fuel pollution; however, dry air interacting with the system prevented explosive strengthening.
Although strong wind gusts and a lot of rain are expected earlier, the hurricane’s center is expected to pass close to or over Bermuda on Saturday. On Friday morning, tropical storm-force wind gusts and torrential rain are expected to arrive over the small island, which is roughly one-third the size of Washington, DC.
There will probably be severe weather late Friday or early Saturday, along with stronger winds. With the possibility of isolated totals approaching 15 inches, Ernesto could dump 6 to 12 inches of rain over the island through Saturday night.
“This could lead to significant flash flooding that poses a threat to life,” the National Hurricane Center issued a warning on Thursday.
As Ernesto approaches the island most closely on Saturday, there will also be significant coastal flooding and a risk of dangerous storm surge.
Eastern Seaboard surfers should be cautious.
Even though Ernesto is still far from major land masses, his effects will be felt widely.
Huge waves from the hurricane will likely reach 40 feet high and propagate hundreds of miles across the open Atlantic. Up until early next week, the US East Coast, the Bahamas, and sections of the Caribbean will experience choppy seas and potentially fatal rip currents due to the high wave heights.
Over the weekend, when many people go to the beach, the majority of the US Atlantic coast will experience the most dangerous coastal conditions. According to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, Ernesto “will result in very dangerous rip currents (Saturday and Sunday)” on Thursday.
Even the most experienced swimmers can be fatally affected by rip currents. The National Weather Service reports that at least 29 persons have perished in rip currents in the United States and its territories this year.
Before reaching Atlantic Canada early the following week, Ernesto will pass near Bermuda and may bring with it wind, rain, and choppy waves.
After Ernesto, disruptions persist.
Hundreds of thousands of people lost power as a result of Ernesto’s powerful winds, even though the storm’s center never made landfall over Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands.
According to LUMA Energy, a private company that manages the transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico, roughly half of all customers on the island experienced a blackout on Wednesday. Over 200,000 people remained without light by Friday morning.
About 20 percent of the tracked customers on the US Virgin Islands, or slightly over 10,000 people, were still without power on Friday morning, according to PowerOutage . us.
Late Tuesday and early Wednesday, the Virgin Islands were drenched from heavy rain. Much of Puerto Rico was submerged in over half a foot of rain, which resulted in extensive flash flooding. Some places received nearly a foot of rain from Ernesto: a preliminary weather service report states that the mountain town of Barranquitas received just over 10 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, while Villalba received about 9 and a half inches.
According to the island’s water authority, heavy rains and flooding in Puerto Rico caused several rivers to overflow their banks and somewhat halted the filtration of water at several water treatment facilities.
