Hurricane Ernesto has intensified again after briefly dropping down to a tropical storm, whipping up dangerous currents along the East Coast on its journey northwards.
The hurricane, which originated as a small depression in the central Atlantic and strengthened to a hurricane by the time it slammed into Bermuda, briefly weakened back to a tropical storm after making landfall. However, it has now inched its way back up into a Category 1 hurricane.
While the storm will pass hundreds of miles offshore of the U.S., its powerful winds are currently whipping up intense waves along the East Coast, and will continue to do so for several days.
"Even though Ernesto is forecast to remain well offshore of the U.S. East Coast, swells generated by the hurricane will continue to affect the area through the early part of this week. Beach goers should be aware that there is a significant risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents, and should stay out of the water if advised by lifeguards," the National Hurricane Center said in a forecast discussion. "Surf and rip currents are also possible on the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Atlantic Canada during the next few days."
Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that flow from the shore out to deeper ocean water. They typically form when waves break strongly in some locations and weakly in others, causing the water to converge and rush back out to sea through a narrow path. These rips usually move at speeds of 1 to 2 feet per second, but can reach up to 8 feet per second, and can pull swimmers out to sea very quickly, which can lead to panic and exhaustion, and possible death by drowning.
"Rip currents that can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water where it becomes difficult to return to safety," the National Weather Service said in a statement. "If you become caught in a rip current, yell for help. Remain calm, do not exhaust yourself and stay afloat while waiting for help. If you have to swim out of a rip current, swim parallel to shore and back toward the beach when possible. Do not attempt to swim directly against a rip current as you will tire quickly."
Several beaches along the East Coast were closed for swimming over the weekend due to the rip current danger, and two men drowned in the waters off Hilton Head Island in South Carolina on Friday after getting caught in a rip.
The hurricane, which currently has wind speeds of about 85 mph, is moving to the northeast, blowing past Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and heading back across the Atlantic, south of Iceland and towards the U.K. and Ireland. Ernesto is forecast to rapidly decrease in strength on its journey across the ocean, however, due to the cooler waters of the northern Atlantic.
"Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 85 mph with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast today, and a weakening trend is expected to begin tonight. Ernesto is expected to lose tropical characteristics during the next day or so," the NHC said.
"On the forecast track, the center of Ernesto will pass near southeastern Newfoundland tonight and early Tuesday."
The storm blustered through Puerto Rico last week, bringing heavy rain and flash flooding and leaving tens of thousands of people without running water, and then slammed into Bermuda, knocking out power to nearly three-quarters of the population.
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