Hurricane Ernesto Downgraded To Tropical Storm After Hitting Bermuda

News Desk

Miami: Tropical Storm Ernesto is forecast to become a hurricane again Sunday as it heads towards Canada’s Newfoundland in the Atlantic.

According to the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC), the storm that impacted Puerto Rico earlier this week will move away from Bermuda by Saturday night but is still expected to produce tropical storm conditions.

Hurricane Ernesto was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Saturday after battering Bermuda with heavy rains and strong winds, leaving much of the British Atlantic territory without power before continuing its path towards eastern Canada.

Ernesto made landfall in Bermuda at 5:30 a.m. local time (0830 GMT), with maximum sustained winds reaching 85 miles per hour (137 km per hour), informed NHC.

As Ernesto moves further northeast, occasional squally showers from the west will continue to affect the island, the Bermuda Weather Service said on Saturday evening, cautioning that hazardous seas would persist overnight.

Drier and brighter weather is forecast for Sunday as Ernesto moves northeast, expected to pass near southeastern Newfoundland late Monday.

As of midnight local time, Ernesto was located about 100 miles northeast of Bermuda and had dumped between seven and nine inches (175 to 225 mm) of rain on the island. The NHC warned this could lead to considerable life-threatening flash flooding, particularly in low-lying areas.

Bermuda’s power company Belco reported that about 18,300 customers, or more than 50 per cent of the island’s population of 64,000, were left without electricity due to the storm. Social media images showed downed trees blocking roads, damaged power lines and flooded streets.

Ahead of Ernesto’s arrival, residents took precautions by pulling boats from the water, boarding up windows, filling bathtubs with water, and stocking up on batteries and food supplies.

National Security Minister Michael Weeks cautioned residents on Saturday, stating that some gusts will still be intense and that downed wires and debris could create dangerous conditions.

According to The Royal Gazette newspaper, several key roads are closed, and bus and ferry services are suspended. Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport will remain closed until Sunday, after the storm passes.

Ernesto is expected to continue moving northeast, eventually nearing or passing east of Newfoundland, Canada, by Monday night. The NHC also warned that dangerous beach conditions are anticipated along the US East Coast throughout next week.