Tropical Storm Ernesto became a hurricane again on Sunday as it moved past Bermuda into the northeastern Atlantic, unleashing powerful waves toward the US East Coast that killed at least one person and forced several rescues.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Ernesto had maximum sustained wind speeds of 75 mph (120 kph), Category 1 intensity.
The hurricane center said Ernesto is forecast to weaken further on Tuesday and strengthen further before becoming a post-tropical cyclone. The storm was centered about 520 miles (840 kilometers) south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was expected to pass near southeastern Newfoundland late Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
Waves generated by Ernesto are affecting the Bahamas, Bermuda, the US East Coast as well as parts of Canada’s Atlantic coast. The hurricane center said life-threatening waves and strong swells are expected in these areas over the next few days.
The National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood warning and cautioned of the risk of high surf along the Atlantic Coast through Monday evening, saying waves could “swap even the best swimmers into deep water far from shore.”
Warnings were issued from Florida to the Boston area and parts of Maine.
Mike Lee, a meteorologist in Mount Holly, New Jersey, said during high-risk periods, rip currents become more likely and potentially more frequent, posing a danger not just to inexperienced swimmers, but to swimmers of all levels.
“It would be really dangerous to get in the water today,” he said.
Officials in New Jersey’s Manasquan Inlet said a fisherman was swept off the north jetty Saturday but was quickly rescued by lifeguards. Lifeguard Chief Doug Anderson told NJ Advance Media that the victim had knee and back injuries and possible head injuries, so he was taken to a hospital, and lifeguards rescued at least five others.
To the south in Ventnor, Senior Lt. Meghan Holland of the city’s beach patrol said eight people had been rescued.
A 41-year-old man drowned in strong currents in Surf City, North Carolina on Saturday, forecasters reported, citing local emergency management.
Two men drowned in separate incidents on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on Friday, but it was unclear whether the incidents were caused by strong currents, the Island Packet in Hilton Head reported, citing a lifeguard service spokesman.
In addition, heavy rains unrelated to the storm caused flooding in parts of western Connecticut on Sunday, closing roads, forcing water rescues and causing a minor landslide. CT Insider reported that floodwaters swept two people into the Little River in the town of Oxford, but Oxford Fire Chief Scott Pelletier said officers were unable to immediately reach the area due to high water levels and had to respond to other emergency calls. Pelletier did not respond to a message from The Associated Press seeking additional details.
Videos posted on Facebook showed severe flooding in Oxford spreading into streets and homes, with at least one video showing a small building being swept away.
In Southbury, police told residents via Facebook to stay home while roads were closed and emergencies were responded to. In nearby Danbury, city officials said in a statement that a home had to be evacuated because of a landslide.
Flash flood warnings were issued for parts of Connecticut and southeastern New York, and flash flood warnings and advisories were issued for areas of Delaware, New Jersey, and southeastern Pennsylvania.
Strong waves generated by Hurricane Ernesto caused a vacant beach house to collapse into the water along Cape Hatteras National Seashore on North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Friday evening. Beach officials on Sunday urged people to avoid beaches in parts of the village of Rodanthe, where several beach structures have suffered “substantial damage.” Debris cleanup is expected over the next several days.
On New York’s Long Island, East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larson said beaches were closed to swimmers Saturday and Sunday because high tides caused water to come up to the base of the dunes, “so people can’t sit on the beach.”
He said several people saw the water from the parking lot Sunday.
“It was an amazing sight to see the water come up to the parking lot, and if you think the storm was hundreds of miles out to sea, it must have been quite powerful,” Larson said.
He said the annual fireworks show, which attracts thousands of people, was canceled for Saturday night and Sunday night.
Ernesto weakened to a tropical storm late Saturday after bringing heavy rain and strong winds to Bermuda.
At a press conference Sunday afternoon, Bermuda’s security minister Michael Weeks said the tiny British territory escaped the storm without injuries or major incidents. “I want to thank everyone for taking this storm seriously,” he said.
He said Bermuda was making steady progress clearing roads and restoring power. Businesses were beginning to reopen and airport operations were set to resume on Sunday.
Lyndon Raynor of Bermuda’s Disaster Risk Reduction Mitigation Team said there were no reports of any major damage. Bermuda’s electricity company BELCO said more than 70% of customers had power and more than 7,000 customers remained without power on Sunday.
Ernesto earlier devastated the northeastern Caribbean, leaving thousands without water in Puerto Rico. National power company LUMA said it had restored power to more than 1.4 million customers, but service data on Sunday showed more than 61,000 people remained without power.
The Virgin Islands Department of Education said all public schools would reopen Monday after cleaning and debris removal. Public school classes in Puerto Rico were also scheduled to begin Monday, about a week later than the original opening date.