Tropical Storm Ernesto blew itself up to hurricane ratings in the Atlantic on Wednesday after earlier knocking out power to more than 600,000 customers in the US territory of Puerto Rico. Ernesto was expected to bring up to 25 centimeters of water to the necks of the islanders crouching in the dark, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The Canovanas river, located in the northeastern part of the island, overflowed its banks due to the rapid inflow of water. According to local media, other floods were expected.
Ernesto was expected to turn north later Wednesday and continue toward Bermuda, where it is expected to make landfall on Friday. According to the NHC, the storm may intensify further in the warm sea area, at least to category three on a five-step scale.