Ernesto strengthens into hurricane as it approaches Bermuda

Hurricane Ernesto strengthened into a Category 2 storm on Thursday night as it moved toward Bermuda, after leaving hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico without power or water.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Bermuda with Ernesto expected to pass near or over the island Saturday.

The storm was centred about 410 miles south-southwest of Bermuda late on Thursday with maximum sustained winds rising to 100 mph and the storm moving north-northeast at 14 miles per hour over open waters.

“I cannot stress enough how important it is for every resident to use this time to prepare. We have seen in the past the devastating effects of complacency,” said National Security Minister Michael Weeks.

Ernesto was forecast to possibly reach Category 3 strength on Friday before weakening as it approaches Bermuda, where it was forecast to drop 15 to 30 centimetres of rain, with up to 38 centimetres in isolated areas.

“All of the guidance show this system as a large hurricane near Bermuda,” said the National Hurricane Centre in Miami.

Ernesto is expected to pass near or east of Atlantic Canada on Monday.

On Thursday, the storm was generating southern winds in Puerto Rico, which have a heating effect as opposed to the typical cooling trade winds that blow from the east.

More than 290,000 people remained in the dark on Thursday evening after Ernesto swiped past Puerto Rico late on Tuesday as a tropical storm before strengthening into a hurricane. Up to 735,000 people were without power on Wednesday.

Hundreds of thousands were also without water while the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory on Thursday warning of “dangerously hot and humid conditions.”

Officials said they do not know when power will be fully restored as concerns grow about the health of many in Puerto Rico who cannot afford generators or solar panels on the island of 3.2 million people with a more than 40% poverty rate.