Hurricane Ernesto is lashing Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and is an increasing threat to Bermuda and possibly Atlantic Canada in the coming days.
Ernesto won’t directly impact the U.S. East Coast, but beachgoers will need to be aware of its swells generating a threat of dangerous rip currents by late this week and over the weekend.
Current status: Ernesto was upgraded to the third hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season late Wednesday morning. That’s about 3.5 weeks ahead of the average pace, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Ernesto is centered north of Puerto Rico and is moving north-northwest. However, bands of heavy rain packing gusty winds continue to hammer Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Multiple flash flood warnings are in effect for Puerto Rico and flooding and landslides have been reported this morning in several locations. Parts of Puerto Rico have measured up to 10 inches of rain, and parts of the Virgin Islands have picked up 5 to 6 inches of rain, so far.
Overnight, wind gusts up to 79 mph were clocked on Buck Island in the Virgin Islands. Eastern Puerto Rico has seen gusts up to 74 mph.
Hundreds of thousands of customers in Puerto Rico, and at least 90% of Virgin Islands customers had lost power.
Bermuda will be threatened by Ernesto next, then possibly Atlantic Canada: Ernesto is expected to continue tracking in a general northerly direction the next several days as an intensifying hurricane.
This northward turn is occurring soon enough to keep it away from the U.S. East Coast.
Ernesto’s closest approach to Bermuda will be Friday night into Saturday, though some outer bands of heavy rain could begin to affect the archipelago as soon as Thursday.
Strong, possibly damaging winds, heavy rain, storm surge and battering surf can be expected in the archipelago. The exact magnitude of the impacts will depend on exactly how close Ernesto tracks in relation to Bermuda and its strength at that time. Interests in Bermuda should monitor the forecast closely and prepare to implement their hurricane plans.
Beyond that, it’s not clear if Ernesto will turn sharply enough toward the east or east-northeast to keep it away from Atlantic Canada early next week.
Ernesto’s swells will be a threat to beachgoers on the East Coast: Ernesto is likely to generate large swells that would reach the East Coast late this week into this weekend. That’s likely to produce dangerous rip currents from Florida to the Northeast.
