Hurricane Ernesto made landfall in Bermuda on Saturday morning, bringing “dangerous weather” to the Atlantic island that is continuing even after the storm has passed, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The hurricane made landfall on the island around 4:30 a.m. as a Category 1 storm.
Bermuda remains under a tropical storm warning, and 6 to 9 inches of rain could cause “life-threatening” flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas, the hurricane center said in an 11 a.m. update. The island could also experience coastal flooding and “large, destructive waves.”
“Bermuda will experience hurricane-force wind gusts over the next few hours,” the hurricane center said. “Tropical storm conditions are likely to continue through this evening or tonight.”
Ernesto was located about 60 miles northeast of Bermuda on Saturday afternoon and continues to move north-northeast at 7 mph. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
The hurricane’s current motion is expected to continue into early Sunday morning, with acceleration toward the northeast predicted Monday night into Tuesday.
“On its forecast track, the center of Ernesto will move slowly away from Bermuda today and pass near southeastern Newfoundland late Monday night through Monday night,” the hurricane center said. Dangerous coastal conditions along the east coast will continue into early next week.
The Bermuda government said in a statement that the eye of the storm was moving north of the island, but the southern eye was expected to still have an impact.
“Don’t be fooled by the lack of rapid wind strengthening; the second half of Ernesto is still scheduled to pass over us,” the government said in a statement.
More than 26,000 power customers in Bermuda are without power, about 72 percent of the island, according to local officials. At a press conference, Bermuda Meteorological Service Director Michelle Pitcher urged residents to be aware of hurricane-force winds the island could experience this morning.
“And the winds are looking to die down in the afternoon, but we’re still going to have tropical storm-force winds through much closer to tonight,” she said.
Authorities said no major damage had been reported yet in Bermuda, but emergency services were conducting limited patrols due to the strong winds.
Video taken by an NBC News crew in the island’s capital, Hamilton, showed debris including fallen palm fronds and tree branches, but no damage to buildings. In Southampton, high winds were seen blowing through palm trees, and trees, power lines and branches were downed in the area.
