The chances of life-threatening impact along the U.S. East Coast are expected to increase this weekend as Hurricane Ernesto continues its trek through the Atlantic Ocean.
Ernesto became a tropical storm on Monday after moving quickly through the Caribbean, and it evolved into a hurricane by Wednesday morning as it brought heavy rain and the threat of significant flooding to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The storm is expected to continue gaining strength this week, and its path is forecast to travel past Bermuda before winds are expected to reach Nova Scotia by late this weekend. Although the storm’s path won’t bring a direct landfall to the U.S., the storm poses fatal risks to parts of the East Coast.
Ernesto is the fifth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. As of Wednesday afternoon, the storm’s maximum sustained winds were measured at 75 mph, which is a Category 1 hurricane.
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