Ernesto prompts hurricane warning for Bermuda as it grows stronger

A hurricane warning was in effect for Bermuda on Thursday as Hurricane Ernesto continued to strengthen as it moved through the western Atlantic.

Ernesto is a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. It is expected to continue strengthening this week and could be near major-hurricane strength by Friday, according the weather service. A major hurricane is Category 3 or higher.

The storm is expected to pass over or near Bermuda on Saturday, and a hurricane warning was issued early Thursday as the storm drew nearer. Ernesto is not expected to approach the mainland United States, but forecasters warned it could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents along the East Coast through the weekend.

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration in Puerto Rico, where hundreds of thousands of customers served by the island’s utility were left without power when Ernesto moved through this week.

Up to 10 inches of rain fell in some parts of Puerto Rico by midday Wednesday, the weather service said.

On Thursday morning, Luma Energy, which distributes electricity in the territory, reported 290,000 customers were still without power there.

Daryl Jaschen, the emergency management director for the U.S. Virgin Islands, which are east of Puerto Rico, said in a briefing on Wednesday morning that Ernesto had knocked power across all of St. John and St. Croix. As of late Thursday morning, about 20,000 customers were still without power in the territory, according to the website poweroutage.us. The U.S. Virgin Islands are home to about 105,000 people.

Bermuda was bracing for 4 to 8 inches of rain (and up to 12 inches in some areas), prompting the weather service to warn of the potential for “considerable” life-threatening flooding.

This hurricane season is expected to be busy.

Forecasters have warned that the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season could be much more active than usual.

Alberto, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, made landfall on the northeastern coast of Mexico as a tropical storm on June 20, unleashing heavy rain, flooding and gusty winds. At least four people died in events related to the storm.

Beryl formed a little over a week later, on June 28, and became the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record. It carved a path of destruction through the Caribbean before crossing into the Gulf of Mexico and hitting the Texas coast.

Earlier this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration continued its forecast of 17 to 24 named storms this year, an “above-normal” number and a prediction in line with more than a dozen forecasts earlier in the year from experts at universities, private companies and government agencies. Hurricane seasons produce 14 named storms on average from June 1 through Nov. 30.

The seasonal hurricane outlooks were notably aggressive because forecasters looking at the start of the season saw a combination of circumstances that didn’t exist in records dating back to the mid-1800s: record warm water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and the potential formation of the weather pattern known as La Nina.

La Nina occurs in the Pacific because of changing ocean temperatures, and it affects weather patterns globally. When it is strong, it typically provides a calm environment in the Atlantic; this allows storms to develop more easily and to strengthen without interference from wind patterns that might otherwise keep them from organizing.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.