Hurricane Ernesto Projected to Hit Bermuda on Friday
by Daniel McCarthy
The fifth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is bearing down on Bermuda.
Hurricane Ernesto is expected to hit the area late on Friday and to remain near the island through Saturday night. According to the Thursday morning update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), “a prolonged period of strong winds and storm surge is expected in Bermuda beginning late Friday,” and a hurricane warning has been issued for the island.
At the moment, Ernesto is producing maximum sustained winds near 85 mph with higher gusts. It is expected to strengthen over the next day or two and become a major hurricane by the time it hits Bermuda on Friday.
Current projections have Ernesto remaining well offshore the U.S., though it may cause some swells on beaches along the east coast. The NHC is also warning of rip currents on some Caribbean beaches, including those on the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Turks and Caicos.
Ernesto’s path isn’t expected to hugely impact travel outside of Bermuda. It has already forced a slate of cruise ship changes, and some airlines have issued waivers for travel through L.F. Wade International (BDA) in Bermuda, including American, Delta, and JetBlue.
The only airline with a larger waiver out is United, which is waiving change fees and fare differences for travel through L.F. Wade, Aguadilla (BQN), San Juan (SJU), and St. Thomas (STT) through Saturday night.
