Friday, August 16, 2024
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After battering Puerto Rico with heavy rains, Hurricane Ernesto is now heading toward Bermuda in its closest approach in nearly four years. The storm could also hit parts of Atlantic Canada early next week, after torrential rains and damaging winds battered Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles.
Ernesto is currently centered more than 500 miles southwest of Bermuda and moving north. Despite battling dry air since becoming a hurricane early Wednesday, Ernesto has held steady at Category 1 winds, with hurricane-force winds gradually increasing and now extending out to 60 miles from its center.
Ernesto strengthened overnight, with winds now reaching 85 mph. The storm is expected to strengthen rapidly over open waters and could reach major hurricane status by Friday before its center passes near or over Bermuda on Saturday, according to the latest warning from the National Hurricane Center.
A major hurricane is classified as one with sustained winds of at least 111 mph, making it a Category 3 storm or higher. AccuWeather expects Ernesto to reach at least Category 3 strength by Friday as it approaches Bermuda.
In preparation for the hurricane, a warning was issued early Thursday morning for Bermuda, indicating that hurricane-force winds are expected, typically within 36 hours of tropical storm-force winds. Locally heavy rain is possible in Bermuda through Friday, with tropical storm-force winds expected to arrive Friday afternoon. All preparations should be completed before these deteriorating conditions arrive.
Ernesto is expected to pass close to Bermuda on Saturday, potentially creating a hurricane. The storm will slow temporarily as it approaches, meaning its effects will likely last through Saturday night and possibly Sunday morning before it moves out. Bermuda can expect strong winds, heavy rain, storm surges and rough seas, with up to 12 inches of rain possible through early Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
After leaving Bermuda, Ernesto will turn northeastward and move at a faster speed. While there is the usual uncertainty about its exact path, it could end up near easternmost Nova Scotia and/or Newfoundland by Monday, bringing at least some wind, rain and waves along the coast as it transitions from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone.
Although it remains off the East Coast of the United States, Ernesto’s waves are expected to generate dangerous currents from Florida to the Northeast through this weekend. Beachgoers along the East Coast of the United States should remain aware of this threat.
This latest storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season formed more than a week after Hurricane Debbie made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend on Monday, August 5. On Thursday, August 14, the National Hurricane Center revealed a new “cone of concern” for Hurricane Ernesto.
You won’t notice much difference between the original and new Ernesto cones, except that the new version includes wind warnings for inland counties, not just coastal ones.
Both cones are available on the hurricane center’s website. To see the new cone, visit the Hurricane Ernesto graphics page and click on the new experimental cone highlighted in red.
“The most significant change to the cone is the inclusion of inland wind advisories, which the National Weather Service has issued for years,” said Jamie Romm, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center.
“We are working to integrate this information into the NHC cone to get a more comprehensive view of the threat so people don’t have to check two different sites. All of the information is now seamlessly integrated.”
Notable changes include:
- Warnings and watches now include inland counties, not just coastal areas.
- The full five-day weather forecast has been shaded in transparent white, replacing the white dots that were previously used for the four- and five-day forecasts.
