Ernesto strengthens to hurricane after hitting Puerto Rico and could turn toward Canada

Hurricane Ernestodropped torrential rain on Puerto Rico and knocked out power for nearly half of all customersin the U.S. territory Wednesday as it threatened to become a major storm en route to Bermuda.

The storm was located about 1,160 kilometres south-southwest of Bermuda withmaximum sustained winds of 130 km/h and was moving northwest at 26 km/h.

Ernesto is also expected to turn north on a path that could potentially include Atlantic Canada, according to the Weather Network.

"While it's still far too early to say, some long-range models do suggest that Ernesto could pass near enough to the Canadian East Coast to bring heavy rainfall early to mid-next week," the Weather Network said in an update Wednesday morning.

CBC meteorologistTina Simpkin noted this isa very early forecast.

"That track could change, but right now it does take it brushing by, at least, the Nova Scotia coastlineand that would put P.E.I. in the track for some high winds and some heavy rains," said Simpkin.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre currently forecasts Ernesto to be south of Nova Scotia Monday morning.

"The storm will likely pass over Canadian marine waters, but the impact on land remains uncertain at this time," the centre said Wednesday afternoon on X, formerly Twitter.

Ernesto is forecast to peak as a Category 3 hurricane as it travels north. As it approaches Canada's East Coast, cooler northern waters will probably reduce Ernesto below hurricane strength. However,it will still likely be a coherent storm if it hits the Maritimes, said Simpkin.

Hurricane watch for Bermuda

A hurricane watch was issued for Bermuda, while tropical storm warnings were discontinued for Puerto Rico and its outlying islands of Vieques and Culebra and for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

"I know it was a long night listening to that wind howl," U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. told a news conference.

An island-wide blackout was reported inSt. Croix, and at least six cellphone towers were knocked offline across the U.S. territory, said Daryl Jaschen, emergency management director. He added that the airports in St. Croix and St. Thomas were expected to reopen at midday.

Schools and government agencies remained closed in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where heavy flooding was reported in several areas, forcing officials to block roads, some of which were strewn with trees. More than 140 flights were cancelled to and from Puerto Rico.

"A lot of rain, a lot of rain," Culebra Mayor Edilberto Romero said in a phone interview. "We have trees that have fallen on public roads. There are some roofs that are blown off."

Flash flood warnings remained Wednesday afternoon because of ongoing rains.

In the north coastal town of Toa Baja, which is prone to flooding, dozens of residents moved their cars to higher areas.

"Everyone is worried," said Vctor Bez as he sipped beer with friends and watched the rain fall. He only briefly celebrated that he had power. "It's going to go out again."

Heavy rain swells forecast for U.S. EastCoast

Ernesto is forecast tostrengthen into a major hurricane. Its centre is expected to pass near Bermuda on Saturday.

"Residents need to prepare now before conditions worsen," said Bermuda's National Security Minister Michael Weeks."Now is not the time for complacency."

Forecasters also warned of heavy swells along the U.S. East Coast.

"That means that anybody who goes to the beach, even if the weather is beautiful and nice, it could be dangerous with those rip currents," said Robbie Berg, warning co-ordination meteorologist with the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Between 100 and 150 millimetres of rain is expected in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and between 150 to 200 millimetres in Puerto Rico. Isolated areas could see as much as 250 millimetres of rain.

More than 640,000 customers were without power in Puerto Rico, along with 23 hospitals operating on generators, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said Wednesday. He added that crews are assessing damage and that it was too early to tell when electricity would be restored.

"We are trying to get the system up and running as soon as we can," said Juan Saca, president of Luma Energy, the company that operates transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico.

Luma Energy said earlier Wednesday that its priority was to restore power to hospitals, the island's water and sewer company and other essential services. More than 300,000 customers were without water as a result of power outages, Pierluisi said.

Ernesto is the fifth named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season.Since 1966, only four other years have had three or more hurricanes in the Atlantic by mid-August, according to Philip Klotzbach, a Colorado State University hurricane researcher.

The U.S.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average Atlantic hurricane season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures. It forecast 17 to 25 named storms, with four to seven major hurricanes.