Hurricane Ernesto Brings Strong Winds and Heavy Rains to Bermuda

Hurricane Ernesto made landfall on the western side of Bermuda early Saturday morning as a powerful Category 1 storm, bringing significant rain and the threat of a dangerous storm surge throughout the day.

Here are key things to know about the storm.

• The storm made landfall around 4:30 a.m, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. That location put the territory in the worst area of the hurricane for an extended period of time. Often the “right” side of an eye wall — in this case the eastern edge — delivers the strongest winds and storm surge.

• 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 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.

Bermuda was bracing for six to nine inches of rain, prompting the Weather Service to warn of the potential for “considerable” life-threatening flooding.

Heavy rain and strong winds arrived on the main island Friday afternoon and were expected to last through Saturday night. Large, destructive waves were expected near the coast.

Starting around 4 p.m. local time on Friday, many households found themselves in the dark. Outages affected more than 25,000 customers early Saturday morning. BELCO, Bermuda’s sole electricity provider, said it was not safe for its crews to be in the field late Friday. It said it would resume work on restoring power when conditions improved.

The storm has prompted a near-total shutdown of Bermuda’s transportation services. Ferry services were suspended, and bus services were halted Friday evening.