Hurricane Ernesto 2024 Hits Bermuda

Hurricane Ernesto made landfall on Bermuda early Saturday as a Category 1 storm, bringing 85 mph winds, heavy rain, and intense storm surges to the island.

The National Hurricane Center reported that Ernesto, the third hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, made landfall around 2:30 a.m. CDT. The storm had been battering Bermuda overnight before its eye moved directly over the island.

As of Saturday morning, more than three-quarters of Bermuda’s utility customers were without power, according to The Associated Press. Despite the widespread outages, the Port Bermuda webcam continued to operate, showing strong winds and rain persisting across the island.

Earlier in the week, Ernesto had swept past Puerto Rico as a tropical storm, leaving hundreds of thousands without power or water in its wake.

Although Ernesto began moving away from Bermuda on Saturday, the island continued to experience strong winds. The hurricane is not expected to impact the U.S. directly, but it could generate dangerous rip currents along the East Coast and parts of the Bahamas.

The hurricane center warned of "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions" in these areas over the next few days and advised beachgoers to follow local safety guidelines.

As of 10 a.m. CDT Saturday, Ernesto was located about 50 miles north-northeast of Bermuda, moving north-northeast at 9 mph. The storm’s winds had decreased slightly to 80 mph, but Ernesto could briefly strengthen again over the weekend before weakening on Monday.

Bermuda could see a storm total of 6 to 9 inches of rain, along with significant coastal flooding, as winds from the storm are expected to continue throughout the day.