Hurricane Ernesto was hundreds of miles from the U.S. on Saturday when it made landfall in Bermuda, but rip current and high surf warnings suggest the storm could pose a weekend threat to East Coast beaches.
More than 1 million people were under high surf advisories, while nearly 10 million people lived in areas with reports for rip currents. National Weather Service. (Rip currents can prove a dangerous hazard to coastal areas far from a hurricane’s center.)
In North Carolina, at least one waterfront home collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean. Local fire and rescue crews As shown in a video released Friday evening. Officials said several more houses from Ernesto are in danger of collapsing.
“Ocean conditions will be dangerous for swimming now due to high surf and scattered debris,” Chicamacomico Banks Fire and Rescue said in a social media post. “Please be careful.”
up north New York CityAuthorities closed beaches in Brooklyn and Queens over the weekend due to dangerous rip currents from Ernesto. New Jersey officials warned of dangerous and life-threatening currents Jersey Shore.
Hurricane Ernesto is expected to continue to batter Bermuda with heavy rain and wind as the storm begins its slow northward track toward Canada. National Hurricane Center He said.
Bermuda was under hurricane warning Saturday morning as the storm is expected to drop 6 to 9 inches of rain there, which could result in life-threatening flash flooding, the center said.
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Ernesto had already left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in Puerto Rico without power and running water when it hit the island on Wednesday.
How a Rip Current Works
National Weather Service offices Boston to do JacksonvilleFlorida warned of dangerous rip currents throughout the weekend.
By Sunday, the rip current threat will extend almost all the way up the East Coast to Maine, said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center. Saturday morning update. He emphasized that distant cyclones are deadly.
“Only go into the sea if you think it is safe, and follow the advice of local lifeguards,” he said. “To avoid becoming a statistic about Ernesto’s dangerous sea conditions, please heed those warning flags along the coast.”
But what are rip currents? As USA Today previously reported, rip currents are short, strong currents that flow quickly away from shore. They are strong. Normally, they move between 1 and 2 feet per second, but they can move faster than any Olympic swimmer at 8 feet per second, or 5.5 mph. They are usually no more than 80 feet wide.
Normally, when waves hit the beach, the water flows back into the sea in a uniform fashion. But low-lying areas on the sea floor, near breakwaters or sandbars, can disrupt uniform water circulation. Thus, water flows faster through an area A powerful tearing current outwards.
If you’re caught in the current, relax. Rip current pulls you out, not under. Float or tread water until you escape or are rescued. Then, swim parallel to the shore, not against the current. Try to get attention by yelling or waving.
Check conditions before entering the water and learn to identify currents. Always swim at the beach with a lifeguard.
Bermuda remains in hurricane status hours after Ernesto passes
Bermuda Weather Service Director Michelle Pitcher said in a statement that a hurricane was still present in Bermuda just hours after Ernesto passed. Saturday afternoon presentation.
The eye of the storm had already passed by 8:30 a.m. local time, but Bermuda was still under a hurricane warning as of Saturday afternoon, Pitcher said. Earlier Saturday morning, Ernesto had sustained 89-mph sustained winds and gusts of 109 mph at the Bermuda National Museum, west of the capital city of Hamilton. As of 6 a.m. in Bermuda, 1.9 feet and 5.9 inches of rain had fallen.
Later on Saturday, Bermuda still saw hurricane conditions, with 74-mph winds and 89 mph gusts. The archipelago is expected to see tropical storm force winds through midnight along with a few inches of rain as Ernesto moves north, Pitcher said.
In Bermuda, nearly three-quarters were without power while officials waited to assess the damage
Officials say Hurricane Ernesto has cut power to three-quarters of Bermuda. Morning explanation.
Bermudians are being urged to stay indoors so there is no major damage, said Lyndon Rayner, director of Bermuda’s Risk Reduction Management Committee. About 11 people were in emergency shelters, which means people are staying home, Reiner said.
However, first responders will begin to fully assess the damage as conditions improve. of Bermuda sidewalkA major road through the archipelago is closed due to the typhoon. Inspections by structural engineers to reopen it won’t occur until at least daylight Sunday morning, Reiner said.
Almost 64,000 people live in Bermuda, a collection of islands that is a British overseas territory.
“We need Bermudians, we need residents, to stay off the streets and stay in shelter,” said National Security Minister Michael Weeks, “so we can weather this storm safely and confidently, without major damage and/or damage. Injury and/or Loss of life.”
Local authorities say an Outer Banks home has collapsed into the Atlantic
At least one home collapsed on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Friday evening, Chicamacomico Banks Fire and Rescue was posted Video Shows a two-storey house.
“Another house collapsed due to swell from Ernesto,” said a social media post by a local fire and rescue agency. “Please do not enter the sea as debris will be floating around for the next few days. Cleanup efforts will be announced by the Park Service.
The agency said more houses in the area are at risk of collapse. “We’re in for a tough weekend,” the department said in another Position Shows damage from collapse.
Where is Hurricane Ernesto?
Even when a hurricane is far out to sea, rip currents can kill
A hurricane’s strong winds can cause dangerous waves, which pose a significant risk to mariners and coastal residents and visitors, according to the Hurricane Center. When waves break offshore, they can create deadly rip currents — even at great distances from the storm.
A statement The American Meteorological Society published last year The percentage of direct deaths from tropical-cyclone-related rip currents has doubled in recent years. The authors found that one or two deaths at a time often occurred from distant storms hundreds of miles away.
In 2008, although Hurricane Bertha was 1,000 miles away, the storm killed three people off the New Jersey coast and required 1,500 lifeguard rescues in Ocean City, Maryland over a 1-week period.
“The reason rip currents are so deadly is because all the other hazards in a hurricane have a visual cue,” the hurricane center’s Jamie Rome said earlier.
‒ Doyle Rice and Tina Voyles Bulver
When is Atlantic hurricane season?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
The peak of the season is Sept. 10, according to the Hurricane Center, with peak activity from mid-August to mid-October.
Contribution: Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY; John Callas and Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network.
Follow Mike Snyder on X and Threads: @MikeSnider & mikegsnider.
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