Hurricane Ernesto is progressing towards the Caribbean island of Bermuda after crossing Puerto Rico, where it left over half of homes and businesses without power.
Puerto Rico’s primary power supplier has reported that approximately 410,000 customers were without electricity by midday Thursday.
Having intensified into a category-one hurricane on Wednesday, Ernesto is expected to strengthen further, with gusts reaching up to 90 mph (150 km/h) as it nears landfall in Bermuda on Friday.
Meteorologists warn that Ernesto could evolve into a major hurricane within the next 48 hours, posing risks of flash flooding, high winds, and hazardous ocean swells.
As it approaches Bermuda, a British territory consisting of 181 islands in the Atlantic Ocean, Ernesto is likely to become classified as a “large hurricane” by Saturday, according to forecasts. It is expected to then shift back out to sea and potentially brush the coast of Atlantic Canada in the following week.
Forecasters have raised concerns about the impact of climate change, which is believed to contribute to the increased intensity of storms like Ernesto.
The hurricane passed over Puerto Rico, with some regions forecasted to receive up to 10 inches (25 cm) of rain, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The agency emphasized the urgency of completing preparations to safeguard life and property in a bulletin issued Thursday evening.
The president and CEO of the power company stated that over 1,500 employees are actively working to restore service and reconnect electricity.
Puerto Rico’s power infrastructure has faced devastating blows from hurricanes in the past; during Hurricane Fiona in 2022, around 80% of the island was without power for nearly a month.
Ernesto marks the fifth named storm in the Atlantic this season.
Earlier this season, a category 5 storm made history by being the earliest on record, causing fatalities and extensive power outages across the Caribbean and the Texas Gulf Coast.
Forecasts from earlier this year indicated that the North Atlantic could experience up to seven major hurricanes of category three strength or higher, significantly above the average.
While climate change does not appear to be increasing the overall number of hurricanes, it is making the most powerful storms more prevalent and is resulting in heavier rainfall events.
