Ernesto strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday, hitting Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands before heading toward Bermuda.
Hurricane Ernesto, which strengthened overnight from a tropical storm, struck Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Tuesday. The storm packed winds of 75 mph and up to 10 inches of rain in some areas. Flash flooding and heavy rain continue to threaten Puerto Rico even as the storm passes, the National Weather Service said Wednesday.
Currently, 49,000 energy customers in the Virgin Islands and more than 700,000 customers in Puerto Rico are without power as of Wednesday afternoon. Power Out.
More than 20 hospitals in Puerto Rico are currently running on generators. Associated PressSt. John and St. Croix also suffered island-wide power outages and at least six cell towers were knocked out, Emergency Management Director Daryl Jaschen said.
It is unclear whether any storm-related deaths or injuries have been reported.
Widespread power outages were expected in Puerto Rico as workers were still working to repair an already weakened power grid from 2017’s devastating Hurricane Maria.
The National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning that Ernesto is expected to strengthen into a “major hurricane” over the next two days, as the storm moves through the open ocean before making landfall in Bermuda later this week.
Ernesto’s path after that remains unclear, but it could reach as far north as Nova Scotia by Monday.
Ernesto battered Guadeloupe from Monday night into Tuesday, with authorities closing roads, urging residents to evacuate and warning about the quality of drinking water in the aftermath of the storm, according to the Associated Press.
Puerto Rican authorities closed schools and government offices on Tuesday in preparation for the storm, and residents flocked to local grocery stores Tuesday morning to stock up on food in preparation for the storm.
Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in San Juan had 33 flight cancellations and 46 delays on Tuesday, including: Flight Aware As of Wednesday afternoon, operations at the airport remained suspended, with 49 flights canceled and 49 delayed.
Puerto Rico’s Ministry of Natural and Environmental Resources rescued several parrots from around the island early Tuesday and moved them to a “hurricane room” for safety, local news outlets reported. Wappa TV I will report.
The Puerto Rico Humane Society urged residents to consider temporarily caring for dogs and cats during the storm, as shelters may be flooded by heavy rains. Wappa TV.
AccuWeather forecasts that as Ernesto moves, it could create dangerous rip currents along the US East Coast.
“While the storm may be hundreds of miles out to sea and the weather may look fine along the coasts of Florida, the Carolinas and even New England, everyone needs to be aware of the risks and dangers on the coast,” AccuWeather chief hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said in a statement.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm this year and is forecast to lead to an “extremely active” Atlantic season. The surge is being driven by record ocean temperatures linked to the climate crisis. Last year was the hottest on record, and 2024 is expected to surpass that record again.
