Hurricane Ernesto batters Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, leaving nearly 800,000 without power

Hurricane Ernesto has the potential to strengthen further into a ‘major hurricane’

Ernesto strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday as it pummeled Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands before blowing toward Bermuda.

Hurricane Ernesto, which strengthened from a tropical storm overnight, battered Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Tuesday. The storm brought 75 mph winds and up to 10 inches of rain in some areas. Even as the storm passes, flash flooding and heavy rain continue to threaten Puerto Rico, the National Weather Service said on Wednesday.

Now, 49,000 energy customers in the Virgin Islands and more than 700,000 customers in Puerto Rico were without power as of Wednesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.

More than 20 hospitals in Puerto Rico are now operating with generators, according to the Associated Press. St. John and St. Croix also saw island-wide blackouts with at least six cell towers knocked out, according to Daryl Jaschen, emergency management director.

A man stands in floodwaters while unclogging a drain in Fajardo, Puerto Rico on Wednesday. More than half the island is without power in the wake of Hurricane Ernesto (REUTERS)

It is unclear if there have been any storm-related deaths or injuries reported.

Widespread outages in Puerto Rico were expected due to an already-weak power grid that crews are still repairing from the devastating Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Now, Ernesto is expected to strengthen into a “major hurricane” over the next two days, the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday morning. The storm will pass over open water before hitting Bermuda late this week.

Hurricane Ernesto’s predicted path as of Wednesday afternoon. The storm is threatening to grow into a ‘major hurricane,’ the National Weather Service said (National Weather Service)

Afterward, Ernesto’s path is still unclear — however, it has the potential to hit as far north as Nova Scotia by Monday.

Ernesto battered Guadeloupe overnight Monday into Tuesday. There, officials closed roads, urged residents to shelter and warned about the quality of drinking water following the storm, according to the AP.

Puerto Rican officials closed schools and government offices in preparation for the storm on Tuesday. Residents also rushed to local grocery stores on Tuesday morning to stock up ahead of the storm.

Puerto Rico residents rushed to grocery stores on Tuesday ahead of Tropical Storm Ernesto. (AFP via Getty Images)

San Juan’s airport, Luis Munoz Marin International, saw 33 flight cancellations and 46 delays on Tuesday, the most out of any airport tracked by FlightAware that day. The airport was still facing service interruptions as of Wednesday afternoon, with 49 cancellations and 49 delays.

Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources rescued several parrots from across the island early Tuesday, transporting them to their “hurricane room” for safe-keeping, local outlet WAPA TV reports.

The Humane Society of Puerto Rico also asked residents to consider temporarily caring for dogs and cats during the storm, as their shelters could be susceptible to flooding from the heavy rain, according to WAPA TV.

An overturned tractor trailer in Fajardo, Puerto Rico as Hurricane Ernesto brought 75 mph winds and heavy rain to the region (AFP via Getty Images)

As Ernesto travels, it’s likely to cause dangerous rip currents along the US east coast, AccuWeather forecasts.

“The storm may be hundreds of miles out to sea and the weather could look great at beaches along Florida, the Carolinas, even up to New England, but everyone needs to be aware of the risks and dangers at the beach,” Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert, said in a statement.

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.