Storm Surge and Flooding Expected as Hurricane Ernesto Nears Bermuda

Hurricane Ernesto now downgraded to a Category 1 storm is losing strength but continues to pose a significant threat as it nears Bermuda. The storm is expected to bring powerful winds, dangerous storm surges, and potentially life-threatening flooding to the British island territory.

Early on Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported that the storm was gradually approaching Bermuda, with its center likely to pass close to or over the island by morning. The most severe impacts, including storm surges and flash flooding, are anticipated later in the day.

As of 11 p.m. AST on Friday (0300 GMT on Saturday), Ernesto’s eye was located approximately 65 miles (105 km) south-southwest of Bermuda. The island had already begun to experience rainbands from the storm on Friday afternoon. Due to Ernesto’s slow movement—north-northeast at 13 mph (20 kph)—and its large size, Bermuda is expected to endure a prolonged period of heavy weather into Saturday night.

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With maximum sustained winds of up to 90 mph (150 kph), Ernesto remains at the upper end of a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. While the storm has weakened from its earlier Category 2 status, where it had the potential to cause extensive damage, it still carries the risk of significant wind damage. The hurricane center has also forecast that Ernesto may regain strength as it moves over the Gulf Stream.

Bermuda could see rainfall totals of up to 9 inches (225 mm), according to the hurricane center’s predictions. 

“This storm is serious, and we should not underestimate its potential impact,” warned Michael Weeks, Bermuda’s national security minister, during a Friday press conference. Emergency responders have been strategically stationed across Bermuda, which comprises 181 small islands located over 600 miles (970 km) off the coast of South Carolina.

According to the utility company BELCO, approximately 5,400 of Bermuda’s 36,000 power customers had lost electricity. The company also announced that it had pulled its repair crews off the field due to unsafe conditions.

Swells generated by Ernesto were already affecting Bermuda, parts of the Bahamas, and the eastern coast of the United States. In response to the storm, authorities in New York announced the closure of beaches in Brooklyn and Queens on Saturday and Sunday due to dangerous rip currents and waves predicted to reach up to 6 feet (2 meters), according to the mayor’s office.