By Brendan O’Brien
(Reuters) – Tropical Storm Ernesto was expected to strengthen into a hurricane on Wednesday as it churns north into the Atlantic while bringing more drenching rains to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and leaving thousands of homes and businesses without power.
Ernesto was about 125 miles (200 km) northwest of the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan as it crawled northwest, packing winds of about 70 miles per hour (110 km per hour), the National Hurricane Center said in a Wednesday morning advisory.
Ernesto – the fifth named Atlantic storm of the season -would likely strengthen into a hurricane sometime Wednesday as it veered north of Puerto Rico and become “a major hurricane in a couple of days,” the center said. It should approach the British island territory of Bermuda, about 665 miles (1,093 km) east of North Carolina, by Saturday.
A storm is considered a hurricane when its sustained winds reach 74 mph (119 kph) . A major hurricane – a Category 3 or higher – has a sustained wind speed of at least 111 miles mph(179 kph).
Some 436,000 homes and businesses were without power early on Wednesday in Puerto Rico, according to LUMA Energy, which provides electricity to the U.S. island territory.
More flood-producing rains were falling on the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, the hurricane center said, warning that floodwaters were covering some streets and causing mudslides.
“I urge you to stay safe in your homes, have the emergency numbers at hand and follow the recommendations of the official authorities. The safety of everyone is a priority,” Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi said on X.
Puerto Rico and Virgin Island schools were closed on Wednesday, as were many governmental offices. Airports on the Virgin Islands, to the east and southeast of Puerto Rico, were expected to reopen at 10 a.m. local time (1400 GMT) on Wednesday.
The Virgin Islands was expected to get up to 6 inches (15.2 cm) of rain while up to 10 inches (25.4 cm) of rain was in the forecast for southeastern Puerto Rico. The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra were under a tropical storm warning, the hurricane center said.
Ernesto is the second named Atlantic storm in a week. Slow-moving Debby hit Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane last week before soaking some parts of the Carolinas with up to 2 feet (0.6 meter) of rain.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
