While New Yorkers will mostly be spared Hurricane Ernesto’s wrath, the storm is still expected to bring strong and dangerous rip currents to the region this weekend, forecasters warned.
“Life-threatening rip currents are likely through the weekend as Ernesto passes well offshore,” the National Weather Service in New York said on Friday morning, warning swimmers to avoid the surf — the area between the shore and the breaking waves.
“Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water,” the agency added, urging anyone trapped in a strong current to avoid panicking and instead swim parallel to the shoreline.
An official rip current advisory for the Brooklyn and Long Island shorelines is in effect until Saturday night at 9 p.m., though rip conditions are expected to persist throughout the weekend.
“If you are planning a beach trip this weekend, please remember safety first and foremost,” the New York City mayor’s office said in a statement.
Ernesto is currently churning across the Atlantic Ocean as a Category 2 storm, with winds of up to 100 miles per hour. It already battered Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power or water earlier this week.
Officials say they hope to restore power to 90% of Puerto Rico by Sunday, but haven’t said when they expect power to be fully restored.
The hurricane is next poised to strike Bermuda on Saturday morning, meteorologists said. The National Hurricane Center warned of significant coastal flooding and large, destructive waves, with rain accumulations of up to 12 inches.
“This rainfall will likely result in considerable life-threatening flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas on the island,” the NHC said.
Officials in the wealthy British territory were preparing to open shelters, suspend public transportation and close the airport by Friday night.
From there, the storm is forecast to move northeast over Atlantic Canada by late Saturday, causing further life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Despite being hundreds of miles away, Ernesto is still expected to ruffle beaches along the East Coast, including those in New York and New Jersey, where waves could reach heights ranging from 5 to 10 feet. The intense tides could cause coastal erosion and flooding near the shoreline and some low-lying areas.
High wind gusts close to 30 mph are also possible in some areas along the Jersey Shore.
Showers and thunderstorms are also likely to hit much of the tri-state area on Sunday and Monday before the sun returns and brings with it more pleasant summer weather by the end of next week.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm of this year’s above-average Atlantic hurricane season.
In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted one of the busiest seasons on record, citing unprecedented ocean temperatures. The agency forecast between 17 and 25 named storms, with up to seven becoming major hurricanes.
An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, three of them major hurricanes.
With News Wire Services
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