The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for Bermuda early Thursday with Hurricane Ernesto on a forecast three-day journey closer to home. Ernesto brought torrential rain to Puerto Rico, leaving two-thirds of homes and businesses in the U.S. territory without power on Wednesday.
Puerto Rico’s power company, LUMA Energy, said about 975,000 customers were without power as of 5:25 a.m. EDT.
Ernesto developed just a few days after Debbie The Category 1 hurricane developed into a tropical storm and ended its path along the US East Coast, killing at least eight people, including children.
According to utility company PowerOutage.us, about 28,000 households in the U.S. Virgin Islands were without power early Thursday morning, up from a peak of about 46,000 households on Wednesday.
NOAA / National Hurricane Center
Ernesto was located about 635 miles south-southwest of Bermuda early Thursday and moving north at 13 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, the hurricane center said.
“The center of Ernesto is forecast to pass near or over Bermuda on Saturday. Strengthening is expected over the next one to two days, and Ernesto may become a major hurricane by Friday. Ernesto is forecast to be a major hurricane near Bermuda on Saturday,” the Miami-based center said.
A hurricane is classified as severe if it reaches category 3with wind speeds of 111 miles per hour or more.
“A dangerous storm surge is expected to cause significant coastal flooding along Bermuda in areas with offshore winds. Near shore, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the hurricane center added. “Ernesto is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches on Bermuda, with isolated maximum amounts of up to 12 inches. These rainfall amounts may result in significant, life-threatening flash flooding.”
It also states: “The swell is expected to reach the East Coast of the United States tonight and continue into the weekend. This swell is likely to create life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
David Parkinson, senior weather and climate producer at CBS News, said the Northeast could see 8-foot waves over the weekend.
NOAA meteorologists said, “Beachgoers should be aware of the significant risk of life-threatening surf and rip current conditions and should avoid the water if advised to do so by lifeguards.”
Rivers in Puerto Rico were swollen after nearly 10 inches of rain. At least 23 hospitals in Puerto Rico had to run on generators, while all schools were closed. Roads across the island were closed due to downed trees and power lines.
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Officials had to open the floodgates of a dam on the La Plata River. Sirens warned residents of the nearby municipality of Toa Baja to evacuate their homes in case of flooding.
Puerto Rico’s power grid was Wiped out by Hurricane Maria in 2017which hit the island as a strong Category 4 storm.
“The government is much better prepared today,” said Juan Saca, president and CEO of LUMA Energy. “… We have a plan that you can see on our website.”
As the White House announced on Tuesday evening, President Biden has declared a state of emergency for Puerto Rico, authorizing FEMA to help deal with the aftermath of the storm.
Ernesto remained a tropical storm for most of Tuesday morning and attained hurricane status when its winds reached the minimum speed of 74 mph for that classification on Wednesday, as measured by the Saffir-Simpson wind scaleThis scale does not take into account a storm’s size, speed, rainfall, or storm surge, all of which pose additional hazards.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which has already proved to be historic after Beryl reached record strength at the beginning of the season with above-average temperatures on the Gulf of Mexico.
NOAA has predicted an above-average season with 17 to 25 named storms, eight to 13 hurricanes, and four to seven major hurricanes.
The fifth named storm typically does not form until August 22, according to NOAA.
Manuel Bojorquez contributed to this report.
