At a Glance
- Hundreds of thousands are without power in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Ernesto.
- Flooding was observed on several islands in the Lesser Antilles.
- Hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at airports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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Puerto Rico is reeling from a heavy blow by Ernesto Wednesday that brought heavy rain, flooding and landslides along with strong winds that battered the island's notoriously frail power grid.
"A lot of rain, a lot of rain," Edilberto Junito Romero, mayor of Culebra Island, east of Puerto Rico, told the Associated Press in a phone interview. "We have trees that have fallen on public roads. There are some roofs that are blown off."
The first day of the new school year on Puerto Rico was delayed until further notice and there were several reports of people stuck in floodwaters, either in vehicles or their own homes, and requesting rescue.
You can get the storm's latest forecast here, and follow Ernesto's track here.
Here's Where Ernesto Is Headed Next
From weather.com meteorologist Robb Ellis:
"As Ernesto pulls away from Puerto Rico, it now has the warm waters of the open Atlantic to strengthen as it heads north. That puts it on a course toward Bermuda some time Friday night into Saturday.
And while Bermuda is a small target for a direct hit in the Atlantic, Ernesto's impacts from wind, waves and heavy rain will still be felt.
To add insult to injury, a slower-moving Ernesto could keep tropical impacts lingering across the island through the weekend."
Will Ernesto Threaten The US?
Not directly, but the storm could bring dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents to areas along the East Coast from South Florida on Thursday and into the Northeast through the weekend.
Rip currents are fast-moving and hard-to-spot channels that carry water quickly away from shore. Even experienced swimmers can be caught off guard and swept away.
To stay safe, always check the rip current forecast before heading to the beach, never swim where there isn't a lifeguard present and pay attention to posted beach flags and warning signs. Also be sure to know what to do if you are caught in a rip current.
At least 29 people have died in rip currents at U.S. beaches this year, including a rash of eight deaths in less than a week in Florida. The most recent death was July 14 in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.
Emergency Approved For Puerto Rico
A federal emergency declaration was approved by President Joe Biden, paving the way for FEMA aid and assistance.
About 3.3 million people live on Puerto Rico, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2020. The island covers an area of about 3,400 square miles and sits about 1,000 miles southeast of Miami.
Ernesto Becomes A Hurricane
Impacts were still being felt after the storm moved away from Puerto Rico.
“Most of Puerto Rico is still getting hammered, but fortunately outer rain bands have finally diminished in the Virgin Islands," weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said, as of about 11:45 a.m. EDT Wednesday.
“Sometimes the 'worst weather' in a tropical storm can happen after the center goes by.”
According to the National Weather Service, up to an additional 6 inches of rain was possible in Puerto Rico, where some areas had already received up to 10 inches.
“This heavy rain over mountainous terrain could trigger dangerous, destructive, life-threatening flooding and landslides," Erdman said.
There were already reports of at least two landslides in the eastern half of the island.
Ernesto was upgraded to a hurricane as it moved away.
Hundreds Of Thousands Without Power
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More than 715,000 homes and businesses in Puerto Rico were without power as of about 5:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, according to the island's electric company. That equals about half of all utility accounts there.
By Thursday morning, there were still nearly half a million customers without power.
The outages weren't unexpected. Puerto Rico's power grid never recovered from hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017, and has faced a series of storms, earthquakes and other issues since.
Earlier, nearly all of the Virgin Islands was without power. Outages there were affecting more than 45,000 of the island's 50,000 utility customers Wednesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. By evening the number of outages had dropped to about 30,000.
How Ernesto Is Affecting Flights, Cruises
For a second day in a row, hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at airports across the region, according to online tracker FlightAware.com. The hardest hit airports:
-San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, the largest in Puerto Rico, with 204 flights impacted.
-Cyril E. King Airport in the U.S. Virgin Islands, 60 flights were canceled or delayed.
-Princess Juliana Airport, St. Maarten, 64% of all departures and more than half of arrivals canceled or delayed Wednesday morning.
Major airlines including Delta, United, American waived applicable change fees. Destinations, dates and impacted routes vary, so travelers should check with their airlines before heading to the airport.
A similar story played out for cruises. The Virgin Islands Port Authority said all ports were closed by the U.S. Coast Guard and cruise ship port calls to St. Thomas and St. Croix were canceled through Thursday.
Carnival Cruise Lines announced changes for sailings of the Carnival Pride and Carnival Magic.
Local ferry service was also affected.
How This Hurricane Season Is Stacking Up So Far
Ernesto was the fifth named storm and third hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
The two other hurricanes, Beryl and Debby, made landfall in the U.S.
August typically kicks off the peak of hurricane season, with 93% of U.S. landfalling hurricanes happening from August through October. On average, the third hurricane of the year arrives around Sept. 7, based on numbers from 1991 to 2020.
Our meteorologists predict this year could be one of the most active hurricane seasons on record.
MORE ON WEATHER.COM
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-Hurricane Season Terms You Should Know
-What's Been Deadliest In US Hurricanes, Tropical Storms Lately May Surprise You
-Get Your Pets Ready For Hurricane Season
-5 Things You Shouldn't Do In A Hurricane Or Tropical Storm
Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.
