SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Aug 17, (AP): Hurricane Ernesto began to pound Bermuda late Friday with heavy winds and rain after officials in the tiny British territory in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean opened shelters and closed government offices.
The Category 2 storm located 95 miles (150 kilometers) south-southwest of Bermuda was packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph). It was moving northeast at 13 mph (20 kph).
Ernesto’s large eye will likely be very near or over Bermuda early Saturday morning, with significant coastal flooding expected, according to the National Hurricane Center.
"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the center said.
The storm was forecast to dump between 6 to 9 inches of rain. Forecasters noted that Ernesto was a large hurricane, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 275 miles (445 kilometers).
In preparation for the storm, officials in the wealthy British territory suspended public transportation and closed the airport on Friday night.
National Security Minister Michael Weeks warned of dangerous weather conditions starting late Friday, with more than 14% of customers already without power and growing.
"Hurricane Ernesto seriously threatens our community,” he said. "This is not a storm to be taken lightly.”
Dangerous surf and rip currents are also possible on the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas and Atlantic Canada during the next few days, according to the center.
Ernesto was forecast to be near or east of Newfoundland by Monday night.
Bermuda is an archipelago of 181 tiny islands whose total land mass is roughly the size of Manhattan.
According to AccuWeather, it’s uncommon for the eye of a hurricane to make landfall. It noted that since 1850, only 11 of 130 tropical storms that have come within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of Bermuda have made landfall.
The island is a renowned offshore financial center with sturdy construction, and given its elevation, storm surge is not as problematic as it is with low-lying islands.