After hammering Puerto Rico and Bermuda, Ernesto re-formed into a hurricane on Sunday and moved far off the east coast of the US, posing a risk of wind and rain to the US and Canadian coastlines.
The US National Hurricane Center reported that the hurricane was posing a threat to travelers and locals alike throughout the North American Atlantic coast. The hurricane’s center is expected to pass close to southeast Newfoundland, Canada, late on Monday or early Tuesday.
“Beach goers should be aware that there is a significant risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents, and should stay out of the water if advised by lifeguards,” the NHC said.
After passing over 600,000 people without power in Puerto Rico earlier in the week, Ernesto made landfall on Bermuda on Saturday, resulting in more than 70% of customers losing electricity.
According to The Royal Gazette newspaper, Bermuda “made it through Hurricane Ernesto without any injuries or major incidents,” as reported on Sunday by Michael Weeks, the island’s minister of national security.
As of the NHC’s most recent advisory at 5:00 pm (2100 GMT) on Sunday, Ernesto was a Category 1 storm on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour). Overnight, significant acceleration was predicted.
Swells from Ernesto are affecting parts of the Bahamas, Bermuda, the US East Coast and Atlantic Canada, the NHC said.
About 520 miles south of Halifax, Canada, the storm was positioned; there were no coastal watches or advisories in place.
Scientists have expressed concern that this year’s hurricane season could be intensified by warmer-than-normal Atlantic waters.
Because there is more energy in a warmer ocean for storms to feed on, scientists believe that climate change is probably responsible for the storms’ fast intensification.
