Hurricane Ernesto to hit Bermuda with life-threatening flooding and 100 mph winds

Hurricane Ernesto is due to bring life-threatening floods, storm surges and 100 mph winds to Bermuda, with dangerous conditions likely to start Friday ahead of the storm’s likely arrival on the island in the next 24 hours, forecasters said.

The category 2 storm is 255 miles south-west from the North Atlantic island and moving at a speed of 13 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in an 8 a.m update. The whole island is under a hurricane warning and as much as 15 inches of rain is expected.

Hurricane-strength winds, which are least 74 mph, are expected to extend 70 miles from the storm’s center, while tropical storm-force winds of at least 39 mph will be felt 265 miles away.

“Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the NHC said.

The center of the storm is due to pass over or near Bermuda on Saturday, with some strengthening possible before that. Ernesto will then remain a large hurricane and maintain its strength through the weekend.

“A dangerous storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding on Bermuda in areas of onshore winds. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the NHC said.

The swells from Ernesto will affect the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas and could even be felt on the U.S. East Coast on Friday and through the weekend, potentially causing life-threatening surf and rip currents, the hurricane center said.

“Beach-goers should be aware of a significant risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents, and stay out of the water if advised by lifeguards,” the center said in an advisory.

The warning was echoed by National Weather Service offices in the eastern U.S, including Mount Holly, Pennsylvania.

Ernesto has already caused havoc in Puerto Rico, where about half the island’s 1.4 million energy customers were left in the dark on Wednesday, even though the storm didn’t make landfall there.