Ernesto strengthens to hurricane status, posing dangerous surf and rip currents for East Coast residents

Ernesto regained hurricane status on Sunday in the open Atlantic Ocean, posing a threat of life-threatening surf and rip currents along the East Coast. The hurricane was initially downgraded to a tropical storm but regained strength with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. It was moving quickly north-northeast and was expected to intensify before weakening back into a tropical storm. New York City and New Jersey beaches were closed or warned about rip currents, and officials in Atlantic City warned of potential coastal flooding. Tragically, there were reports of three deaths related to the storm, with two men drowning in rip currents off Hilton Head and one man dying in North Carolina. Dramatic video showed a stilted home in North Carolina collapsing into the ocean. Coastal areas from Newport to Morehead City in North Carolina were under a life-threatening rip current forecast, as were areas around Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. National Weather Service coastal flood advisories were in effect for ten million people along the East Coast. The hurricane center warned of continued life-threatening surf and rip currents potential from Bermuda to Canada for the coming days.

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