Hurricane Ernesto strengthens to Category 2 with 100 mph winds as it threatens Bermuda

Storm could spark life-threatening rip currents along the US east coast as it moves north over the weekend

Hurricane Ernesto has strengthened into a Category 2 storm with 100 mph winds as it heads for Bermuda.

The storm is set to hit Bermuda on Saturday morning, the National Weather Service said. In addition to hurricane-force winds, Ernesto will bring up to nine inches of rain and flash flooding to the islands. The storm could also spark life-threatening rip currents along the US east coast as it moves north over the weekend.

Bermuda is set to endure “at least 36 hours of hurricane and tropical storm force winds,” Michael Weeks, Bermuda’s minister of national security, said on Friday. He called the storm a “considerable risk to life and property.”

“Be under no illusion, this storm is the real deal,” Weeks said.

The storm may weaken after blowing through Bermuda but is expected to re-intensify, the NWS said. Ernesto will then move north and has the potential to pass by the eastern coast of Newfoundland late Monday.

A man boards up his house in Warwick, Bermuda ahead of Hurricane Ernesto, which has strengthened into a Category 2 storm (REUTERS)

Officials have since shut down government offices, public transport and the airport in preparation. Residents have also rushed to stores to stock up on supplies.

Bermuda resident Trina Graham told USA Today her family has barricaded their door with heavy plastic and secured the gas canisters that fuel their stove in preparation for the storm.

“We have everything locked up,” she told the outlet. “It’s very cloudy but there’s not any serious wind yet. It’s … the calm before the storm.”

Hurricane Ernesto’s projected path as of Friday night. The Category 2 storm is set to hit Bermuda on Saturday (National Weather Service)

Daisy Dohanos, an American on vacation in Bermuda, also told USA Today she’s had “a fast education” on hurricane preparedness.

She plans to stay with her friend, who has three rescue dogs.

“We’re just gonna hunker down,” Dohanos told the outlet. “I’m just hoping they don’t get frightened. I’m told that they’re not scared of storms, so they might be the ones calming me down.”

Meanwhile, nearly 300,000 energy customers in Puerto Rico are without power after Ernesto battered the territory on Tuesday. Amid these outages, the NWS has issued an excessive heat warning for the region.

“It’s not easy,” Andrés Cabrer, a 60-year-old Puerto Rico resident without water and power, told the Associated Press.

A man stands in floodwaters while unclogging a drain in Fajardo, Puerto Rico on Wednesday. Nearly 300,000 residents are still without power (REUTERS)

Ernesto is the fifth named storm this year, during what is predicted to be an “extremely active” Atlantic season. This spike is being driven by record-high ocean temperatures linked to the climate crisis.

Last year was the hottest on record, and 2024 is expected to once again beat that record.