Hurricane Ernesto: Dangerous swells from Bermuda to New York

Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Hurricane Ernesto as it moved over the western Atlantic Ocean toward Bermuda on August 15, 2024.

In this image, captured by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite, the center of the storm was 530 miles southwest of the Bermuda.

“Earlier in the week, Ernesto moved through the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, and eastern Puerto Rico, bringing torrential rains and wind gusts near hurricane strength,” said NASA. 

“According to news reports, the storm knocked out power for about half of Puerto Rico’s residents and dumped 3 to 10 inches (8 to 25 centimeters) of rain over much of the island. The storm flooded roadways, downed power lines, and destroyed homes and vehicles.”

Ernesto’s wave action 

The storm has generated significant wave activity across the Atlantic. As the storm moved away from Bermuda, it was downgraded to a tropical storm, but it continues to produce large swells that are affecting various coastlines.

On the U.S. East Coast, waves are expected to reach heights of 4-8 feet, with dangerous surf conditions and a high risk of rip currents persisting through early next week. These conditions are also likely to impact areas in the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Atlantic Canada.

In Newfoundland, waves and wind impacts are anticipated as Ernesto approaches the region on Monday. 

Extensive reach of Ernesto 

The Associated Press reports that although Hurricane Ernesto remained hundreds of miles offshore, its impact was still strongly felt along much of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard on Saturday. 

Dangerous rip currents, driven by the storm, led to the closure of public beaches during one of the final busy weekends of the summer season.

In New York, many closures are in place over the weekend to protect the public from potentially life-threatening conditions in the water, with waves reaching up to 9 to 10 feet in some areas.

Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn, as well as Rockaway Beach and Jacob Riis Park in Queens, are closed to swimming. 

Philippe Papin, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, described Ernesto as a “pretty large” hurricane with an extensive reach. 

The storm’s “large footprint of seas and waves” affected areas from the central Florida Atlantic coastline up to Long Island, New York, despite its landfall early Saturday on the small British Atlantic territory of Bermuda.

Dangerous rip currents

“That whole entire region in the eastern U.S. coastline are expecting to have high seas and significant rip current threats along the coast,” Papin said. 

Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that flow from the shore out to the sea. They typically form near breaks in sandbars, piers, or jetties, where water that has been pushed toward the shore by waves needs to find a way to return to the ocean. 

This returning water creates a concentrated, fast-moving current that can pull swimmers away from the shore very quickly.

2024 hurricane season

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is shaping up to be one of the most active on record, with forecasters predicting above-normal activity. The season officially began on June 1 and will run through November 30, with the peak typically occurring between mid-August and mid-October.

This year’s outlook, driven by a combination of climate factors, includes an expected 17 to 24 named storms, of which 8 to 13 could develop into hurricanes. 

As many as seven of the predicted Atlantic storms could become major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher). Multiple factors are contributing to this heightened activity. 

These factors include record-warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic, the potential emergence of La Niña conditions, weaker trade winds, and reduced vertical wind shear – all of which create a favorable environment for storm formation and intensification.

The season has already seen several significant storms, including Hurricane Beryl, which became the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record for the Atlantic basin. With these intense conditions expected to persist into the fall, NOAA has emphasized the importance of preparedness, especially as the peak of the season approaches.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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