Hurricane Ernesto hit Bermuda on Saturday (17.08.2024) with torrential rains and strong winds, leaving much of the British territory in the Atlantic Ocean without electricity, authorities reported.
The cyclone, which hit Puerto Rico earlier this week, is “moving away from Bermuda” but is still creating strong tropical storm conditions on Saturday afternoon, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a new report.
Ernesto made landfall in Bermuda at 08:30 GMT with maximum winds of 137 kilometers per hour, according to the agency.
The Belco electric company reported that the natural formation has left almost 26,000 of its customers in Bermuda without electricity, or more than 70% of its users in the archipelago of 64,000 inhabitants.
Images on social media showed fallen trees blocking roads, power lines damaged by high winds and flooded roads. Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport announced it would remain closed until Sunday.
At 6:00 p.m. local time, Ernesto was more than 130 kilometers northeast of the archipelago, located along the east coast of the United States, and is expected to leave between 175 and 225 millimeters of rain.
This week, Ernesto brought heavy rains to Puerto Rico, leaving 600,000 people without electricity.
According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this year’s Atlantic hurricane season – which runs from June to November – is expected to be hectic as rising ocean temperatures increase the intensity of hurricanes.
