By DÁNICA COTO, The Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Ernesto strengthened into a hurricane on Wednesday as it dropped torrential rain on Puerto Rico and left nearly half of all clients in the U.S. territory without power as it threatened to become a major storm en route to Bermuda.
The storm was located about 175 miles northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico and was moving over open waters. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was moving northwest at 16 mph (26 kph). “The official forecast still reflects the possibility of Ernesto becoming a major hurricane in about 48 hours,” the National Hurricane Center said late Wednesday morning.
A surfer prepares to enter the water before Tropical Storm Ernesto goes by at La Pared beach in Luquillo, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo) AP A tropical storm warning was in effect for Puerto Rico and its outlying islands of Vieques and Culebra and for the U.
S. and British Virgin Islands. “I know it was a long night listening to that wind howl,” U.
S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.
said in a news conference. An island-wide blackout was reported in St. John and St.
Croix, and at least six cell phone towers were knocked offline across the U.S. territory, said Daryl Jaschen, emergency management director.
He added that the airports in St. Croix and St. Thomas were expected to reopen at midday.
Schools and government agencies remained closed in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where heavy flooding was reported in several areas, forcing officials to block roads, some of which were strewn with trees.
More than 140 flights also were canceled to and from Puerto Rico. “A lot of rain, a lot of rain,” Culebra Mayor Edilberto Romero said in a phone interview. “We have trees that have fallen on public roads.
There are some roofs that are blown off.” Ernesto is forecast to move through open waters for the rest of the week and make its closest approach to Bermuda on Friday and Saturday. It is expected to become a major Category 3 storm in the upcoming days and then weaken slightly to a Category 2 as it nears Bermuda.
“Residents need to prepare now before conditions worsen,” said Bermuda’s National Security Minister Michael Weeks. “Now is not the time for complacency.” Forecasters also warned of heavy swells along the U.
S. East Coast. “That means that anybody who goes to the beach, even if the weather is beautiful and nice, it could be dangerous .
.. with those rip currents,” said Robbie Berg, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm and the third hurricane of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. Since 1966, only four other years have had three or more hurricanes in the Atlantic by mid-August, according to Philip Klotzbach, Colorado State University hurricane researcher. More: Take a look at damage from storm Debby in the Harrisburg area: photos, videos The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record warm ocean temperatures.
It forecast 17 to 25 named storms, with four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher. Weather reports Tropical Storm Ernesto hits Caribbean, heads to Puerto Rico Another tropical storm forms in Atlantic, threatens Puerto Rico As cleanups progress, Debby’s deadly damages add up in Pa., too Home damaged by Tropical Storm Debby? Here are helpful tips for claiming insurance payout.
