Hurricane Ernesto weakened to a tropical storm late Saturday as it moved away from Bermuda across the open waters of the Atlantic after crossing the small British territory earlier in the day with heavy rains and strong winds.
Ernesto forced residents to stay in their homes and more than 23,000 people were cut off from power, authorities said. By late Saturday night, the storm’s maximum sustained winds had decreased to 70 mph. Its center was about 140 miles northeast of Bermuda and was moving north-northeast at 8 mph.
The National Hurricane Center had warned of strong winds, a dangerous storm surge and significant flooding along the coast of Bermuda.
The center said Bermuda was expected to receive 18 to 23 centimeters of rain. “This rain is likely to cause significant, life-threatening flash flooding, particularly in low-lying areas of the island,” it said.
Due to the size of the storm and its slow movement, hurricane-force gusts are expected through Saturday night, and tropical storm-force winds are expected to persist well into Sunday, the Bermuda government said.
Late Saturday afternoon, Michelle Pitcher, director of the Bermuda Weather Service, said wind gusts were still at hurricane force. “It’s still pretty rough out there,” she said.
A tropical storm warning will remain in effect through the night, Pitcher said.
Prime Minister David Burt shared a video on social media platform X thanking emergency workers and urging citizens to stay in their homes.
“Tropical storm force winds will continue to be present overnight and we ask everyone to be cautious,” he said. “Stay home.”
BELCO, Bermuda’s power company, said more than 23,000 customers had been without power since Saturday night.
The hurricane center reported life-threatening surf and current conditions on the east coast of the USA and Canada. Ernesto is expected to pass near the southeast of Newfoundland by Monday night and could possibly reach hurricane strength again, it said.
Lana Morris, manager of the Edgehill Manor Guest House in Bermuda, said conditions were calm although winds had picked up again. “I’ve spoken to my guests and they told me they still have power, running water and are fine.”
Morris said she has been communicating with her guests by phone. “They don’t have internet – but if the network goes down, it’s down. They’re safe and I’m happy with that.”
Bermuda is an archipelago of 181 tiny islands, whose total land mass is roughly the size of Manhattan.
According to AccuWeather, it is rare for the eye of a hurricane to make landfall in Bermuda. Since 1850, only 11 of 130 tropical storms that came within 100 miles of Bermuda have made landfall, according to AccuWeather.
The area is a well-known offshore financial center with robust construction and, due to its high altitude, storm surges are not as problematic as on low-lying islands.
Ernesto had previously struck the northeastern Caribbean, leaving tens of thousands of people in Puerto Rico without water.
LUMA, Puerto Rico’s national power utility, said it had restored power to more than 1.3 million customers 72 hours after the storm.
After cleanup and debris removal, the Virgin Islands Department of Education announced that all public schools would resume operations on Monday.
Classes in Puerto Rico’s public schools were also scheduled to begin on Monday, almost a week after the original date.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm and the third hurricane of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average hurricane season in the Atlantic this year due to record-high ocean temperatures. It forecast 17 to 25 named storms and four to seven major hurricanes.
