How Will Hurricane Ernesto Affect New England?

Until recently, New England rarely had to worry about tropical storms and hurricanes.

Over the last few years, we have seen that change, though.

In September 2023, we had to deal with a pair of back-to-back storms. While those storms had lost much of their strength by the time they reached New England, they did hit us within days of each other. And after dealing with Debby last weekend, we are getting ready to deal with Ernesto this weekend.

The storm continues to increase in strength as it travels north.

As of Thursday morning, Hurricane Ernesto was expected to become a category 2 storm by Thursday afternoon. It was also forecast that the storm would become a category 3 storm by Friday.

According to Weather.com, the storm is expected to hit Bermuda on Saturday, but the island could start feeling the effects of the storm as early as Friday morning.

How Will Ernesto Impact New England?

As of Thursday morning, the storm’s path will keep it far into the Atlantic Ocean. Even though it will be hundreds of miles from the East Coast, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut will still feel the effects of the storm.

The storm’s winds will cause high surf and an increased chance of rip currents.

If you plan to visit the beach this weekend, be extra careful about entering the water.

According to Weather.com, most of New England will see cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper 70s or lower 80s throughout the weekend.

Much of New England will see significant rainfall on Monday. It is not clear if that rain will be because of Ernesto or not.