Friday, August 16, 2024 After battering Puerto Rico with torrential rain, Hurricane Ernesto is now heading toward Bermuda for its closest strike in almost four years. The storm could also brush parts of Atlantic Canada early next week, following its flooding rains and damaging winds that hammered Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles. Currently, Ernesto is centered over 500 miles south-southwest of Bermuda and is moving north.
Despite battling dry air since first becoming a hurricane early Wednesday, Ernesto has held steady at Category 1 wind intensity, with hurricane-force winds gradually growing and now extending up to 60 miles from its center. Overnight, Ernesto intensified, with winds now reaching 85 mph. The storm is expected to rapidly strengthen over open waters, potentially reaching near-major hurricane status by Friday before its center passes close to or over Bermuda on Saturday, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
A major hurricane is classified as one with sustained winds of at least 111 mph, categorizing it as a Category 3 storm or higher. AccuWeather predicts that Ernesto will reach at least Category 3 status by Friday as it approaches Bermuda. In preparation, a hurricane warning was issued early Thursday morning for Bermuda, signaling that hurricane-force winds are expected, typically within 36 hours of tropical storm-force winds.
Locally heavy rain is possible in Bermuda into Friday, with tropical storm-force winds expected to ar.