Tropical Storm Ernesto is set to bring nearly a foot of rain and heavy winds to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Tuesday.
The system, which will likely strengthen into a hurricane overnight , was just 175 miles away from the Puerto Rican coast as of 2 pm on Tuesday. The storm is set to bring 65 mph winds and up to three feet of storm surge, according to the National Weather Service.
After passing by Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the evening, Ernesto will likely strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane over the open Atlantic before hitting Bermuda on Thursday, according to the NWS.
Afterward, Ernesto’s path is still unclear — however, AccuWeather meteorologists say it has the potential to hit as far north as Nova Scotia by the middle of next week.
Ernesto has already battered Guadeloupe, a group of islands in the southern Caribbean. There, officials closed roads, urged residents to shelter and warned about the quality of drinking water following the storm, according to the AP.
Nearly 16,000 Puerto Rico customers are without power, according to Luma Energy, the island’s power grid operator. Another 784 people are without electricity in the Virgin Islands.
Outages in Puerto Rico are expected to skyrocket due to an already-weak power grid that crews are still repairing from the devastating Hurricane Maria in 2017, according to the Associated Press .
Puerto Rican officials have also closed schools and government offices in preparation for the storm. Residents also rushed to local grocery stores on Tuesday morning to stock up ahead of the storm.
San Juan’s airport, Luis Munoz Marin International, saw 32 flight cancellations and 28 delays as Ernesto rolled near — the most out of any airport tracked by FlightAware on Tuesday.
Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources has also rescued several parrots from across the island, transporting them to their “hurricane room” for safe-keeping, local outlet WAPA TV reports.
The Humane Society of Puerto Rico is also asking 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 .
Meanwhile, six of Puerto Rico’s reservoirs were already overflowing as of Tuesday morning, meaning they could be even more vulnerable as Ernesto dumps nearly a foot of rain on the island.
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 .
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