BERMUDA (Reuters) - Hurricane Ernesto swept over Bermuda early on Saturday and battered the British island territory with powerful winds, a dangerous storm surge and potentially deadly flooding.
Ernesto brought top sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) the US National Hurricane Center said, although it had weakened to a Category 1 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale as it approached.
"Ernesto remains a large and powerful hurricane with only slight weakening forecast into this morning as it continues its progress north-north-easterly," the Bermuda Weather Service said.
Electric utility BELCO said the storm caused near island-wide outages, with about 26,100 out of roughly 36,000 customers without power at 9 a.m. (1300 GMT).
By 8 a.m. (1200 GMT), the storm was about 15 miles (25 km) north-northeast of Bermuda, an archipelago with a population of around 64,000 that lies more than 600 miles off the South Carolina coast.
It is expected to slowly depart Bermuda on Saturday, moving on a track that would take it near or east of Newfoundland on Monday night, the hurricane center said.
The storm was carrying a dangerous storm surge expected to produce significant coastal flooding in parts of Bermuda, while rainfall was forecast at up to 9 inches (225 mm), the center said.
It warned that would likely result in "considerable life-threatening flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas on the island."
On Friday, BELCO said it had called its repair crews back from the field because it was too dangerous to work.
Ernesto had been classified as a Category 2 storm on Friday. Little change in its current strength was expected on Saturday, although some re-intensification was possible late in the weekend before weakening begins on Monday, the hurricane center said.
The Bermuda Weather Service cautioned that winds could ease significantly for a brief time before rapidly increasing towards hurricane force again as the eye clears north and winds settle into the west.
Michael Weeks, Bermuda's national security minister, said the government had received numerous reports of persons venturing out in the storm, and he urged people to stay indoors.
"We have gone through the eye of Hurricane Ernesto, and now the weather is deteriorating again,” he told reporters.
BELCO President Wayne Caines also cautioned residents not to be “lulled into a false sense of security”.
“Reports are coming in about downed poles and power lines, which are extremely dangerous," Caines said. "It’s critical that people avoid these areas and refrain from being on the roads."
Ocean swells generated by Ernesto were affecting parts of Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the east coast of the United States, the hurricane center said.
In New York, the city parks and the National Park Service announced that all beaches in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens would be closed to swimmers on Saturday and Sunday with the National Weather Service predicting dangerous rip currents and swells of up to 6 feet, the mayor's office said.