The latest hurricane report from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) on August 15 said that Hurricane Ernesto - the fifth storm in the Atlantic Ocean during the 2024 hurricane season - is moving into the Atlantic and away from Puerto Rico. Ernesto is currently located about 289 km east of Grand Turk Island.
Ernesto, currently a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale ( winds of 119-153 km/h), will begin turning north over the next day or two and eventually become a super typhoon.
The storm is forecast to become a Category 3 storm with winds of 185 km/h south of Bermuda tomorrow (August 16).
According to this forecast, the center of Ernesto is expected to pass near Bermuda with winds of over 161 km/h.
Storm No. 5 is expected to cause heavy rain expected to be from 80-150 mm, locally up to 230 mm. These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods.
A hurricane warning has been issued for Bermuda. This means tropical storm winds could occur in the next 48 hours. Typhoon No. 5 will then move toward the Maritimes Sea in Canada, weakening as it passes through colder waters.
Ernesto formed in the Atlantic on August 12 before impacting Caribbean islands such as St. Petersburg. Croix and Puerto Rico as tropical storms.
Significant deep troughs off the East Coast have long been expected to act as a barrier to prevent storms from hitting the United States directly, but not far enough to prevent indirect impacts to the coast.
The earliest big waves to appear are on August 15 in Florida, but are likely to last until the end of the week and early next week. The threat is considered large enough for the National Hurricane Center to warn about the dangers in its recommendations.
"The waves generated by the storm are expected to sweep the Florida coast later this week and last through the weekend. Sea travelers should pay close attention to the significant risk of life-threatening high waves and high tides," NHC forecasters said.
A strong flow forms when water accumulates and forms a narrow, fast-flowing flow that quickly swept swimmers off the shore, often causing them to lose their vigilance.
The flows can move at speeds of up to 2.4 m/s (86.4 km/h), faster than most people's swimming speed.
Tropical storms such as Hurricane Beryl and Hurricane Debby at the beginning of the season caused increased strong currents along some US coastal areas, but there were no deaths.
According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as of August 4, at least 30 people have died from strong currents or large waves across the US.
Most of the deaths have occurred in Florida, but there have been many on the beaches of Puerto Rico and the Carolina.
