Hurricane Ernesto’s heavy rain hits Puerto Rico

After bringing torrential rain and heavy winds that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico, what is now Hurricane Ernesto is forecast to strengthen further as it approaches Bermuda, officials said.

Ernesto was a tropical storm when it passed by Puerto Rico Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

No deaths related to the storm have been reported there, but there were over 730,000 customers without electricity Wednesday, including people with no water service, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said.

Ernesto has since strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane and at 11 p.m. Wednesday it had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph as it traveled over the open Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center said.

When the center passes near or over Bermuda on Saturday, the hurricane is likely to be “at or near major hurricane intensity,” National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Michael Brennan said in a video briefing Wednesday. Major hurricane status is Category 3 or above.

Bermuda Minister of National Security Michael Weeks urged people to take the storm seriously and to prepare.

“As I have said before, it only takes one storm to cause significant damage and disrupt our way of life,” Weeks said Wednesday.

Ernesto could also cause dangerous rip currents along the United States’ Atlantic coast this week and through the weekend, forecasters have said.

A little more than 10 inches of rain fell in the region of Barranquitas in Puerto Rico, the National Weather Service in San Juan said, and much of the island was still under flood watches as of late Wednesday.

A hurricane watch that had been in effect for the British Virgin Islands and tropical storm warnings for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra — all of which are popular with tourists — were discontinued by Wednesday afternoon.

Dramatic video posted to social media showed the moment sailors were rescued from a stranded tugboat off the island of Sint Maarten as it was blasted by high winds and heavy rain Tuesday.

Ernesto is the fifth named storm and third hurricane of what has already been an exceptionally busy hurricane season.