Tropical Storm Ernesto unleashes heavy rain, wind across Puerto Rico

Tropical Storm Ernesto gained strength early Wednesday as it bore down on Puerto Rico, bringing torrential rain, damaging winds and dangerous storm surge to the U.S. territory and the Virgin Islands.

As of 5 a.m. ET, Ernesto was located 85 miles north-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with sustained winds of 70 mph, closing in on the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm has also grown larger and has become better organized as it's fueled by the warm waters of the Caribbean.

The National Hurricane Center said both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands were likely to receive 4 to 6 inches of rain, and the total for southeastern Puerto Rico was forecast at 6 to 8 inches, with a maximum of 10. The heavy rain triggered a slew of flash flood warnings across Puerto Rico early Wednesday as wind gusts reached up to 86 mph.

Besides closing schools and asking the public to stay at home, officials in Puerto Rico – home to more than 3 million American citizens – activated the National Guard and opened shelters Tuesday. Flights at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, were canceled by their respective airlines. On Tuesday, President Biden approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico, ordering the federal government to assist in local response efforts.

The island was also bracing for blackouts, which have been commonplace ever since Hurricane Maria destroyed the power grid in 2017. Luma Energy said it has coordinated with emergency contractors throughout Puerto Rico to respond to outages, and it encouraged customers to keep their contact information up to date so they can receive the latest announcements.

Warm Atlantic waters are expected to further boost Ernesto after it leaves Puerto Rico and heads north on a projected path toward Bermuda.

Tropical Storm Ernesto:Track where the storm is heading as it barrels towards Puerto Rico

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Hundreds of thousands without power in Puerto Rico

Over 380,000 utility customers are without power across Puerto Rico as Tropical Storm Ernesto slams the U.S. territory with powerful winds and heavy rain.

The majority of the outages – approximately 143,651 – were reported in Caguas, a major city in east-central Puerto Rico, according to the website of Luma Energy, the operator of Puerto Rico’s power grid.

The next highest outage total, 104,311, was recorded in Carolina, a municipality east of San Juan, according to Luma Energy. San Juan reported 37,690 houses and business were in the dark Wednesday morning.

Damaging wind gusts, flash flood warnings active across Puerto Rico

As Ernesto's pummeled Puerto Rico early Wednesday morning, officials issued under flash flood warnings as the national hurricane center reported damaging wind gusts.

By 6 a.m., between 2 and 5 inches of rain had fallen across part of Puerto Rico, and an additional 2 to 3 inches was projected. "Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly," the weather service in San Juan said.

As rain totals climb, the Rio Grande de Loiza and its tributaries "continue to rise, and the flooding risk continues to increase," the weather service said, adding, "These rivers will likely overflow during the morning hours."

According to the National Weather Service office in San Juan, an 86 mph wind gust was recorded in Culebra, a small island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico. A National Weather Service crew in Ceiba County, in northeastern Puerto Rico, recorded a gust of 74 mph. Winds as high as 75 mph were recorded across the Virgin Islands, the weather service said.

Will Ernesto impact the US?

While Ernesto isn't expected to hit the mainland U.S., authorities have warned of potentially dangerous beach conditions — such as rip currents and rough surf — along the nation's Atlantic coast as the storm moves by.

The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday cautioned recreational boaters, fishermen, beachgoers, and water sports enthusiasts in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to stay out of the water "due to deteriorating sea state conditions and dangerous rip currents associated with Tropical Storm Ernesto."

Forecasters said strong swells will begin to reach North Carolina beaches by Friday and advised beachgoers to be aware of the risks and dangers.

"The storm may be hundreds of miles out to sea and the weather could look great at beaches along Florida, the Carolinas, even up to New England, but everyone needs to be aware of the risks and dangers at the beach," according to AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva. "We expect the rip current risk along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. to start later this week along the Southeast and ramp up over the weekend, expanding to the north."

Ernesto fifth named storm in 2024

In a revised forecast issued earlier this month, the federal government called for an "extremely active" Atlantic hurricane season, one that could rank among the busiest on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted 17 to 24 named storms with about 8 to 13 becoming hurricane-strength, over the average 14 named storms and seven hurricanes.

In a statement, NOAA head Rick Spinrad said the season started "early and violent" with Hurricane Beryl being the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic on record. He added the agency's update signifies that the peak of the hurricane season is near, which typically includes the most impactful storms and hurricanes.

Overall, NOAA says there's a 90% chance of an above-average season, which is among the highest chances ever issued by the agency, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster Matthew Rosencrans told USA TODAY.

Hurricane Beryl, Debby batter U.S.

In July, Hurricane Beryl strengthened to a Category 5 storm, pummeled many Caribbean nations, and later caused long blackouts in Texas. Beryl has been linked to more than 20 deaths across Texas and the Caribbean.

After leaving Texas, the remnants of Beryl spurred a record 113 tornado warnings on July 9, according to Iowa State University research.

Earlier this month, Debby made landfall along Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 1 hurricane before the storm's remnants caused major flooding along the eastern U.S., trapping many residents in their homes. At least eight people have died from the storm as it produced gusty thunderstorms in New England and triggered multiple emergency declarations.

Contributing: Doyle Rice and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY; C. A. Bridges, Palm Beach Post