Hurricane Ernesto causing high rip current risks at beaches

Hurricane Ernesto's path is making its way toward Bermuda after hitting Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier in the week. The storm is expected to bring high rip current risks to New York and New Jersey beaches this weekend.

Ernesto continues to churn in the Atlantic Ocean as a Category 2 storm, with winds of 100 miles per hour. It's expected to slam Bermuda later today into Saturday , before moving northeast by early next week.

Thankfully, Ernesto will not deliver any direct impacts to our region, but there will be some noticeable indirect impacts, mainly along our shoreline, even with the storm passing 600 miles to the east.

The greatest concern will be the threat of dangerous rip currents that will last through the weekend. Very high surf, with wave heights ranging from 5 to 10 feet, will likely keep many swimmers out of the water.

The pounding surf may lead to some erosion of the beaches . Coastal flooding may also become an issue as the high waves work in conjunction with the approaching full moon on Monday. Winds will turn gusty, especially along the immediate coast, with gusts between 25 to 30 mph.

While it was a mostly dry and pleasant week, changes are on the way this weekend. For today, mostly sunny skies will become cloudier by late in the day. Humidity will also be on the rise, making high temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s feel a bit uncomfortable. Those clouds will further increase into tonight, as lows drop into the low 70s.

As we roll into Saturday, although there will be more clouds than sun, rain is likely to hold off until very late in the day, and mainly for western areas. High temperatures will be kept down by the extra clouds in place, only reaching the low to mid-80s, but humidity will rise significantly.

Steadier rain then moves into the entire region during the overnight hours of Saturday, with more waves of showers and thunderstorms throughout the day on Sunday. Some of the rain may be heavy at times, and totals may exceed 2 inches for some locations.

Tri-State weather this weekend

Today: Mostly sunny to start, with increasing clouds and humidity later in the day. Highs in the upper 80s to low 90s.

Tonight: Increasing clouds. Turning muggy. Lows in the lower 70s.

Saturday: Partly to mostly cloudy skies. A few showers are possible late in the day, especially west of the city. Breezy and humid. Highs in the low to mid 80s.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with on and off showers and thunderstorms. Breezy too. Some gusts may reach up to 30 mph. Very humid, with highs in the low to mid-80s.

Monday: Mostly cloudy and humid with showers and storms. Highs in the low to mid 80s.

Stick with the First Alert Weather team for the latest forecast and weather alerts.