Hurricane Ernesto brings heavy rain and wind as it passes Puerto Rico
Ernesto intensified from a tropical storm to a hurricane, bringing damaging winds and heavy rains as it passed north of Puerto Rico.
After devastating Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Ernesto strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane as it approached Bermuda late Thursday night and threatened to become a major hurricane before reaching the British territory.
According to an 11 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Ernesto was located 410 miles south-southwest of Bermuda and had sustained winds of 100 mph. The 14 mph storm is expected to begin dumping heavy rains across Bermuda on Friday before moving near or over the island on Saturday.
“Preparations in Bermuda should be completed before Friday afternoon,” the NHC warned late Thursday. “Preparations to protect life and property should be completed quickly.”
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were recovering from Wednesday’s flooding. At its peak, half of Puerto Rico’s utility customers — as many as 730,000 — were without power. As of 11 p.m. ET Thursday, about 277,989 homes and businesses, or 18% of customers, were still without power, according to LUMA Energy’s website. In addition, about 258,000 customers were still without drinking water as of 6 p.m., the newspaper El Nuevo Dia reported.
Flood warnings remained in effect across Puerto Rico as rivers continued to rise past flood levels, threatening residential areas and low-lying areas. In the past 48 hours, 5 feet (1.5 meters) of rain fell in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, while totals rose to 10 inches (25 centimeters) in parts of southeastern Puerto Rico.
The National Weather Service Flood warnings issued for rivers for parts of western Puerto Rico from Thursday evening into Friday morning. The San Juan office urged residents to be especially cautious on the roads at night, as most flood deaths occur in vehicles.
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Developments:
∎ According to the National Hurricane Center, waves likely to create life-threatening surf and rip current conditions will move toward Bermuda and the rest of the Bahamas on Thursday.
∎ Cruise ship disruptions continue as Ernesto moves across the Atlantic. This week, several Carnival and Norwegian cruises have had to change their itineraries due to the strengthening storm. Some skipped stops in Puerto Rico or avoided the Eastern Caribbean altogether.
Although Ernesto is not expected to come within 800 miles of the coast, beachgoers along the coast from Florida to Nova Scotia are warned of dangerous rip currents and surf along the Atlantic coast starting Friday and through the weekend as the hurricane moves north.
Surf riptides pull people away from the shore and can quickly gain speed, warns the US Lifesaving Association. According to a scientific analysis of the non-profit organization’s data, over 100 people die in the US every year as a result of surf riptides. They are also responsible for around 80% of lifeguard rescues on beaches.
“It’s best to stay out of the ocean (at least) Friday through Sunday,” said the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, which plans to issue a warning for strong waves of 6 feet or more for Friday.
In Maine, high waves will be a concern along the coast this weekend as Ernesto continues its path north, the weather service said.
“Beachgoers should be aware of the significant risk of life-threatening surf and rip current conditions and should stay out of the water as advised by lifeguards,” the hurricane center said. “Over the next few days, surf and rip current conditions are also possible in the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Bahamas.”
− Dinah Voyle’s Powder
Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans had to cope with temperatures around 35 degrees and high humidity without electricity and running water, as the aftermath of Ernesto brought back memories of the powerful Hurricane Maria that devastated the island in 2017.
The National Weather Service in San Juan reported a record-breaking 95 degrees at Puerto Rico’s largest airport on Thursday, a day after Ernesto brought widespread flooding, strong winds and significant damage to the U.S. territory’s fragile power grid.
The storm also brought southerly winds with a warming effect, prompting the weather service to issue a warning saying that “a period of dangerously hot and humid conditions” was expected for all of northern Puerto Rico. These conditions prevailed in the days following Maria, which left much of the island in darkness for several weeks and was linked to about 3,000 deaths.
Ramón Mercedes Paredes, a 41-year-old construction worker, told the Associated Press he planned to spend Thursday night outside to cool off. “I didn’t sleep at all,” he said. “I couldn’t even take a shower.”
Jason Lawrence spent all day Wednesday preparing for Ernesto. The lifelong Bermuda resident had four of his boats hauled out of the water and tied up before hauling his patio furniture into his house and nailing plywood over the windows.
Lawrence, 38, also helped his parents and brother secure their homes. At his grocery store, M. Soares & Sons, in the Spanish Point neighborhood, he unpacked deliveries of water, bread, batteries and canned goods on Thursday.
“I have a feeling most people are going to get their plywood and hunker down today,” he said. “The grocery stores should be pretty busy this afternoon and tomorrow.”
Lawrence plans to ride out the storm at his home on the north coast, just feet from the ocean, with his wife and two sons, ages 1 and 6.
“We’re not really panicking unless it gets to Category 3,” he said. “The structures down here are different than in the States. The houses are holding up well, so once you get everything wrapped up, it’s pretty good.”
The National Hurricane Center said Ernesto “is expected to become a major hurricane near Bermuda on Saturday.”
Bermuda’s National Security Minister Michael Weeks warned residents and tourists to prepare immediately for Ernesto’s arrival.
Weeks said the storm will unleash a spate of dangerous weather conditions, including torrential rain, high storm surges and strong winds, bringing “a high probability of power outages across the island,” which is home to about 65,000 people.
The National Hurricane Center estimates that Ernesto could dump 6 to 12 inches of rain on Bermuda, and up to 15 inches in some areas, causing “significant, life-threatening flash flooding.”
“Although Bermuda has been fortunate to avoid the worst impacts of hurricanes in recent years, we must take every storm seriously and prepare accordingly,” he said. “It only takes one storm to cause significant damage and disrupt our way of life.”
He urged people to secure their property, including patio furniture and boats, and said they should stock up on food, medicine and batteries. Weeks added that officials will meet on Thursday and make decisions about the operation of the main island’s causeway, airport and public transit.
“Don’t be lulled into thinking you can wait until the last minute – the window to prepare is closing fast,” he said. “This is not the time to underestimate the power of nature.”
There was no rain in Bermuda on Thursday afternoon, but Jessica Burns said she could see Hurricane Ernesto approaching when she looked over the southern horizon.
“It’s well on its way,” said Burns, 29, adding that she was awakened Wednesday night by bright flashes of lightning outside her window.
On Thursday, the wind remained calm, Burns said, but the ocean became rougher.
− Claire Thornton
In a revised forecast released earlier this month, the U.S. government said the Atlantic hurricane season was expected to remain “extremely active.”
“Atmospheric and oceanic conditions have set the stage for a highly active hurricane season that could be one of the strongest on record,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its forecast.
NOAA forecast 17 to 24 named storms and about 8 to 13 at hurricane strength, which is above the average of 14 named storms and seven hurricanes. These numbers include four other storms that formed this year, including deadly Hurricane Beryl and Hurricane Debby.
Residents in the eastern United States are currently recovering from Debby, which caused dangerous flooding along the entire coast. Last month, Beryl was the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record, devastating parts of the Caribbean and temporarily knocking out power to more than 1.3 million homes and businesses in Texas.
“Hurricane season got off to an early and fierce start with Hurricane Beryl,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. “NOAA’s update to the Hurricane Season Outlook is an important reminder that the peak of hurricane season is imminent, when historically the strongest impacts from hurricanes and tropical storms occur.”
Contributors: Charles Ventura, Minnah Arshad, Doyle Rice and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY; Reuters
