Ernesto blasts Puerto Rico with flooding rainfall; Bermuda needs to prepare for direct impacts from potentially major hurricane

> Heat and humidity could impact cleanup and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico 
 
> AccuWeather expert meteorologists are urging people in Bermuda and Atlantic 
Canada to prepare for direct impacts from Ernesto starting this weekend 
 
> Ernesto is a 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ for Hurricanes in the northeastern Caribbean and 3 in Bermuda due to concerns for damaging winds, flooding and 
storm surge

AccuWeather Global Weather Center – August 14, 2024

Ernesto intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with maximum sustained winds of 74-95 mph winds  Wednesday morning while slamming Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rainfall and gusty winds.  

“Parts of Puerto Rico have seen more than 9 inches of rainfall and wind gusts near 80 miles an hour,” said AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.  

Heat and humidity could impact cleanup and recovery efforts on the islands where people have been left without power and air conditioning. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are forecast to surpass 100 degrees Thursday through Sunday in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  

“Nearly the entire island of Puerto Rico was under flash flood warnings Wednesday morning,” said AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva. “River gauges are rising quickly.” 

 
A storm surge of up to 3-6 feet is forecast for portions of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, even as the center of Ernesto pulls away from the islands.  

DaSilva warns that Ernesto will create rough surf and dangerous rip currents at beaches along the entire U.S. East coast starting Thursday through the weekend.  

Bermuda bracing for direct impacts 

AccuWeather expert meteorologists say Ernesto is forecast to continue strengthening as it moves north toward Bermuda.  

“We could be dealing with a major hurricane approaching Bermuda this weekend,” said Rayno. “Ernesto is forecast to track just west of Bermuda. That puts Bermuda in the right front quadrant of the hurricane, which is where we typically see the worst impacts from a storm.” 

Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to arrive in Bermuda by the start of the weekend. AccuWeather expert meteorologists are forecasting 4-8 inches of rainfall with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 10 inches.  
 

Wind gusts of over 100 mph are forecast for parts of Bermuda, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 140 mph. Powerful wind gusts could bring down trees and power lines, causing structural damage and potentially leaving people without power for days or even weeks. Winds that strong can also turn loose items into missiles, enhancing the danger and damage.

“We could be dealing with a major hurricane approaching Bermuda this weekend,” warned DaSilva. “The center of Ernesto could get as close as 50 miles away from Bermuda.” 
 

A major hurricane is a Category 3 Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson HurricaneWind Scale with maximum sustained winds of 111-129 mph. 

AccuWeather expert meteorologists say the southern and eastern coasts of Bermuda could also be impacted by 1-3 feet of storm surge from Friday night through Saturday. 

Atlantic Canada on alert 

AccuWeather expert meteorologists say families, businesses and officials in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia need to be prepared for impacts from Ernestoarriving early next week.  

“AccuWeather is now forecasting a landfall in Atlantic Canada early next week,” said DaSilva. “The storm is being pulled northwest by a dip in the jet stream through the rest of this week. That dip in the jet stream is then going toleave, and Ernesto will meander and drift to the north this weekend. Another dip in the jet stream is going to pull Ernesto farther northwest toward Atlantic Canada.” 

AccuWeather is forecasting 2-4 inches of rainfall in parts of Atlantic Canada late Sunday night through Monday night. 

Rayno says people in parts of Atlantic Canada need to be prepared for 40- to60-mph wind gusts with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 80 mph.  

“Look out Nova Scotia. This storm is going to get very close to you next week,” said Rayno. 

AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes 

Ernesto is a 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ for Hurricanes in the northeastern Caribbean and a 3 in Bermuda due to concerns for strong winds and flooding from heavy rain and storm surge. 

A 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ for Hurricanes warns of localized flooding, damage to unanchored mobile homes, localized power outages, as well as coastal inundation resulting in some property damage.   

A 3 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ for Hurricanes warns of widespread and substantial flooding, structural damage to buildings, downed trees, power outages, and major coastal inundation. 

In contrast to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which classifies storms by wind speed only, the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale is based on a broad range of important factors. In order to better communicate a more comprehensive representation of the potential impact of a storm to lives and livelihoods, the scale covers not only wind speed, but also flooding rain, storm surge and economic damage and loss. Some of these hazards such as inland flooding and storm surge in many storms result in more deaths and economic loss than wind.  

AccuWeather expert meteorologists are urging people along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and those far inland that have dealt with hurricane impacts in recent years, to be prepared for a surge in tropical activity and potential threats in the coming weeks.  

AccuWeather is forecasting 20-25 named storms and four to six direct impacts to the United States.  

AccuWeather Forecast Graphics

Additional AccuWeather Resources:

Tropical Storm Ernesto barrels into Caribbean; It's to become the Atlantic's next major hurricane   

Hurricane Tracking & Storm Radar
  

How to avoid the potentially deadly grip of a rip current
 

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