Hurricane Ernesto weakens, but still dangerous, as it closes in on Bermuda
By Jasmine Patterson and Nicola Muirhead
BERMUDA, Aug 17 (Reuters) -Hurricane Ernesto was weakening as it closed in on Bermuda early on Saturday, downgraded to a Category 1 storm but still threatening the British island territory with powerful winds, a dangerous storm surge and potentially deadly flooding.
The storm was slowly making its way toward the Atlantic archipelago, its center due to pass near or over Bermuda on Saturday morning, with the worst of the storm surge and flash flood potential expected later in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
As of 11 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time on Friday (0300 GMT on Saturday), the eye of the storm was 65 miles (105 km) south-southwest of Bermuda, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
Rainbands from the storm began dousing the island territory on Friday afternoon. Its slow speed - moving north-northeast at 13 mph (20 kph) - and large size means Bermuda could experience a lengthy pummeling on Saturday night, the hurricane center said.
It produced maximum sustained winds of up to 90 mph (150 kph), putting it at the high end of Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale - still packing very dangerous winds that will produce some damage, the hurricane center said.
On Friday it had been classified as a Category 2 storm, with extremely dangerous winds capable of extensive damage. While it may continue to weaken for the next day or so, it is forecast to strengthen again over the Gulf Stream, the hurricane center said.
Rainfall on Bermuda was forecast at up to 9 inches (225 mm), the hurricane center said.
"Folks, be under no illusion. This storm is the real deal," said Michael Weeks, Bermuda's national security minister, at a press conference on Friday.
Weeks said emergency responders would be posted at strategic areas in Bermuda, a collection of 181 small islands clustered more than 600 miles (970 km) off the South Carolina coast.
By Friday afternoon, Ernesto's winds had knocked out power for 5,400 of Bermuda's 36,000 customers, the power utility BELCO said. The company said it had called its repair crews back from the field because it was too dangerous to work.
Swells generated by Ernesto were already affecting parts of Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the east coast of the United States, the hurricane center said.
In New York, the city parks and the National Park Service announced that all beaches in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens would be closed to swimmers on Saturday and Sunday with the National Weather Service predicting dangerous rip currents and swells of up to 6 feet (2 meters), the mayor's office said.
Where Hurricane Ernesto is expected to hit https://reut.rs/3SRzWbN
Reporting by Jasmine Patterson and Nicola Muirhead in Bermuda; Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by William Mallard
면책조항: XM Group 회사는 체결 전용 서비스와 온라인 거래 플랫폼에 대한 접근을 제공하여, 개인이 웹사이트에서 또는 웹사이트를 통해 이용 가능한 콘텐츠를 보거나 사용할 수 있도록 허용합니다. 이에 대해 변경하거나 확장할 의도는 없습니다. 이러한 접근 및 사용에는 다음 사항이 항상 적용됩니다: (i) 이용 약관, (ii) 위험 경고, (iii) 완전 면책조항. 따라서, 이러한 콘텐츠는 일반적인 정보에 불과합니다. 특히, 온라인 거래 플랫폼의 콘텐츠는 금융 시장에서의 거래에 대한 권유나 제안이 아닙니다. 금융 시장에서의 거래는 자본에 상당한 위험을 수반합니다.
온라인 거래 플랫폼에 공개된 모든 자료는 교육/정보 목적으로만 제공되며, 금융, 투자세 또는 거래 조언 및 권고, 거래 가격 기록, 금융 상품 또는 원치 않는 금융 프로모션의 거래 제안 또는 권유를 포함하지 않으며, 포함해서도 안됩니다.
이 웹사이트에 포함된 모든 의견, 뉴스, 리서치, 분석, 가격, 기타 정보 또는 제3자 사이트에 대한 링크와 같이 XM이 준비하는 콘텐츠 뿐만 아니라, 제3자 콘텐츠는 일반 시장 논평으로서 "현재" 기준으로 제공되며, 투자 조언으로 여겨지지 않습니다. 모든 콘텐츠가 투자 리서치로 해석되는 경우, 투자 리서치의 독립성을 촉진하기 위해 고안된 법적 요건에 따라 콘텐츠가 의도되지 않았으며, 준비되지 않았다는 점을 인지하고 동의해야 합니다. 따라서, 관련 법률 및 규정에 따른 마케팅 커뮤니케이션이라고 간주됩니다. 여기에서 접근할 수 있는 앞서 언급한 정보에 대한 비독립 투자 리서치 및 위험 경고 알림을 읽고, 이해하시기 바랍니다.
