Hurricane Ernesto is fast approaching the U.S ., bringing with it the potential for "significant, life-threatening" danger to the East Coast .
Already stronger than Tropical Storm Debby, which battered parts of the South a few weeks ago, Hurricane Ernesto is slated to bring massive storm surges to the U.S. mainland, reaching Category 3 strength by as early as Friday, just before it's set to strike Bermuda.
The National Hurricane Center mapped Ernesto's path, indicating which areas will be hit the worst and when. The storm will not make landfall at all on the East Coast but this region will feel the effects of the storm.
When Ernesto slammed into Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Wednesday, it caused significant infrastructure damage and mudslides as a Tropical Storm , leading to mudslides there and in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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Approximately 730,000 people were left without power in Puerto Rico through Wednesday, with blackouts down to 649,000 people impacted by 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday — a restoration of only about 80,000 over several days. On Wednesday itself, the island saw over 9 inches of rain, and by later that day, St. John and St. Croix, two U.S . Virgin Islands, were completely gutted in terms of power infrastructure, with several cell towers offline.
As of Wednesday evening, Ernesto left Puerto Rico and was headed for the Atlantic waters off the East Coast, strengthening significantly as it raced along.
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Bermuda is next in the hurricane's warpath, and the storm is expected to reach Category 3 status — becoming a major hurricane — by then. From there, it will wind into the Atlantic a few hundred miles off the coast of the U.S., zooming along until it reaches the easternmost portions of Canada , which is where it's slated to finally make landfall.
"Ernesto is expected to approach Bermuda late Friday and be near the island Saturday and Saturday night. A prolonged period of strong winds and storm surge is expected on Bermuda beginning late Friday, and a hurricane warning has been issued for the island. Preparations to protect life and property should be raced to completion," a message from the National Hurricane Center reads.
The warning also predicted heavy rains for the island that could result in flash flooding as it continued to urge residents to buckle down. In a third message, the NHC addressed the potential for damage on the East Coast.
"Even though Ernesto is forecast to remain well offshore the U.S. East Coast , swells generated by the storm are expected to reach the area late this week and into the weekend. Beach goers should be aware of a significant risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents, and stay out of the water if advised by lifeguards," the NHC warned. "Surf and rip currents are also possible on the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos, and the Bahamas during the next few days."
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