Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said early Friday evening that Hurricane Ernesto’s “strong winds, dangerous storm surge, and life-threatening flooding” are expected to begin over Bermuda “shortly.”
The weather forecasters said the Category 2 storm is moving forward “with little change in strength” and has retained its maximum sustained winds of 155 kmph (about 100 mph).
Ernesto’s center is slated to pass near or over Bermuda on Saturday morning, the National Hurricane Center said.
Warren Darrell, 52, a resident of Smith’s Parish in Bermuda, said he is prepared for Ernesto and has stocked up on food and removed his lawn furniture.
"I'm ready to play games with my daughters and wait," he told Reuters. "I'm a bit worried, a little bit worried, but I think we'll overcome. I think we'll be fine."
At last report, Ernesto was about 205 kilometers (125 miles) south-southwest of Bermuda and was moving to the north-northeast at 20 kmph (13 mph).
Ernesto is expected to produce 150 to 225 millimeters (6 to 9 inches) of rain, which forecasters said could result in considerable life-threatening flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas on the island.
Officials in the British territory announced Thursday they would suspend public transportation and close the airport by Friday night. National Security Minister Michael Weeks had urged people to complete their hurricane preparations by Thursday.
While forecasters initially predicted Ernesto would continue to strengthen and possibly become a major storm – a Category 3 hurricane or stronger – by the time it reached Bermuda, they now say that strengthening seemingly halted overnight.
Forecasters said the size is generally larger than their previous forecast, with hurricane-force winds extending outward up to 110 kilometers (68 miles) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 425 kilometers (265 miles), so the dangers from Ernesto are unchanged.
Ernesto’s life-threatening swells are expected to affect portions of the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas and Bermuda.
Even though Ernesto is predicted to remain well off the U.S. East Coast, forecasters said the storm is expected to generate swells along the shoreline into the weekend. These swells could pose a significant risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents.
Ernesto brought heavy wind and rain to the northern Caribbean as it moved through Wednesday. It knocked out power, downed trees and forced schools and businesses to close in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where many of the island’s businesses and homes lost power.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm and the third hurricane of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.
