By Ivelisse Rivera
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Ernesto on Tuesday threatened to bring heavy rainfall, dangerous storm surges and strong winds to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, leading the U.S. territory to prepare for power outages.
The storm, last observed northwest of the island of Guadalupe and carrying maximum winds of 45 miles per hour (75 kilometers per hour), could strengthen into a hurricane by Thursday after passing over Puerto Rico and veering north into the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center said.
Ernesto – the fifth named storm of the season – is expected to miss Florida and the U.S. Southeast, which are still reeling from Tropical Storm Debby.
Last week, slow-moving Debby hit Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane, before soaking some parts of the Carolinas with up to two feet of rain.
Like Debby, Ernesto’s greatest threat is torrential rain, which could spur flash floods and landslides, especially in the mountainous interior of Puerto Rico and nearby Caribbean islands.
Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi said on X that the government had activated emergency protocols and expedited food benefits for families ahead of the storm’s arrival.
Puerto Rico, with its fragile power grid, has a history of highly destructive storms. In 2022, Hurricane Fiona knocked out power for about 80% of the island’s customers. Five years earlier, Hurricane Maria plunged the territory into darkness.
LUMA Energy, the private operator of Puerto Rico’s transmission and distribution system, said on X it had activated its emergency operations, mobilized crews ahead of the storm, and advised residents to brace for power outages.
The storm is expected to cross parts of the Leeward Islands, which include Martinique, on Tuesday, reaching the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by evening.
Total rainfall over the Leewards and Virgin Islands could reach up to 6 inches, while some spots in Puerto Rico could get up to 10 inches, the NHC said.
Storm surges could bring water levels as much as 3 feet (1 meter) above ground level on Puerto Rico’s eastern coast and in the Virgin Islands, the center said.
(Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York City; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
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