Hurricane Ernesto Threatens Bermuda with Life-Threatening Flooding

Hurricane Ernesto, a powerful Category 2 storm, is heading towards Bermuda, threatening to bring a foot of rainfall, dangerous storm surges, and flash flooding. With sustained winds of up to 100 mph, the storm could cause destructive waves and significant power outages. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warns of hazardous conditions.

Hurricane Ernesto barreled toward Bermuda on Friday morning as a powerful Category 2 storm, likely to produce a foot of rainfall over the weekend and trigger life-threatening flooding and storm surges, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Centered about 250 miles southwest of the British island territory at 8 a.m. Atlantic time, Ernesto was packing sustained winds of up to 100 mph, making conditions ripe for dangerous storm surges and flash flooding in Bermuda by Saturday afternoon.

Moving in a north-northeast direction at 13 mph, the storm could bring total rainfall in Bermuda up to 15 inches in some areas. Large, destructive waves are expected to crash into the pink, sandy beaches of Bermuda, which is home to about 65,000 residents and serves as an international financial hub. Earlier in the week, Ernesto grazed Puerto Rico as a tropical storm, cutting power to about half of its 1.5 million customers and causing significant property damage.

As of Friday morning, 236,000 homes and businesses in Puerto Rico remained without electricity. Hurricane Ernesto is the fifth named Atlantic storm of a particularly intense hurricane season. Previous storms, including Hurricane Fabian and Hurricane Beryl, have caused significant damage and loss of life.