Hurricane Ernesto regained strength on Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean, with maximum sustained winds reaching 75 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane. The storm was located about 520 miles south of Halifax, Canada, moving north-northeast at 17 mph. Ernesto was expected to intensify further before weakening back to a tropical storm by Tuesday, passing near southeastern Newfoundland late Monday into Tuesday morning.
The storm created life-threatening surf and rip currents for much of the East Coast, prompting officials in New York City to close beaches to swimming and warnings in New Jersey and Atlantic City about the dangerous conditions. Two men drowned in rip currents off Hilton Head, South Carolina on Friday, but it was unclear whether Ernesto was to blame.
Dramatic video showed a stilted home in Rodanthe, North Carolina collapsing into the ocean waves. Ocean buoys from North Carolina to Rhode Island measured wave heights of 5 to 6 feet on Sunday evening. National Weather Service issued coastal flood advisories covering 10 million people from Bermuda to Canada, warning of moderate to major coastal flooding.
Life-threatening surf and rip currents were forecasted from Newport, North Carolina to Morehead City and beyond Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Wilmington, North Carolina. The hurricane center advised that coastal areas from Bermuda to Canada could experience dangerous conditions for the next few days.
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