Planning a weekend trip to a South Shore beach? Ernesto might have an impact on it

Hurricane Ernesto is making its way up the Atlantic, and while it's not expected to hit the South Shore, it may still affect weekend beach plans.

The storm pummeled the Caribbean on Wednesday morning with rain and strong winds throughout Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It's expected to affect Bermuda later this week and could strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center's latest forecast.

While Ernesto isn't expected to make landfall in New England, forecasters are predicting possible riptides as a result of the storm.

Here's what to know about how Ernesto could affect the region this weekend.

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Hurricane Ernesto: How it will impact New England

Ernesto is expected to continue its way east through the weekend. The hurricane's center is currently projected hundreds of miles east of Massachusetts by Sunday morning.

However, forecasters are warning beachgoers about possible "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions" from Thursday through the weekend because of the storm.

"Even if Ernesto stays well offshore of the U.S. East Coast, beach goers should be aware of a significant risk of deadly rip currents beginning later this week," the National Hurricane Center said in its latest forecast .

The weekend's beach weather forecast calls for partly sunny skies and afternoon thunderstorms on Thursday, with partly sunny skies Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, skies will be much cloudier with showers. Temperatures will reach the low 80s.

What to know about possible riptides

AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said in a release that beachgoers along the Atlantic coast should "not let your guard down" because rip currents can be hard to see.

“The skies may be blue and the weather may look calm, but the waters could be dangerous," DaSilva said. "Please stay in areas where lifeguards are on duty, and make sure your family knows about the warning signs and how to escape a rip current by swimming parallel to the coast.”

What are rip currents?

Riptides or rip currents are powerful currents of water that can pull people away from shore, according to the National Weather Service . They can be deadly: data from the NWS shows rip currents have killed almost 30 people this year alone.

If caught in a rip current, the NWS says to yell for help and remain calm and stay afloat while waiting for help. Do not swim directly against a riptide, rather swim parallel to the shore.

Hurricane Ernesto spaghetti models

How long does hurricane season last?

Hurricane season lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30 in New England.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Planning a weekend trip to a South Shore beach? Ernesto might have an impact on it