Hurricane Erin’s outer bands brought heavy rain and tropical-storm winds to Puerto Rico on Sunday, knocking out power to more than 147,000 customers at its peak, according to Luma Energy, the private company managing the island's electricity transmission and distribution. By early Monday, 96.3% of those affected had their power restored, with remaining outages concentrated in the Caguas, Mayagüez and San Juan regions.
The storm reintensified to a category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130mph (215km/h) early on Monday, moving closer to the south-east Bahamas, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. More than 20 flights were cancelled due to storm-related weather, but the US Coast Guard reopened all ports in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands on Sunday as conditions improved.
The Bahamas government issued a tropical storm watch for the central Bahamas, while warnings remained in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands and south-east Bahamas. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 60 miles from Erin’s centre, with tropical-storm-force winds reaching 230 miles. The NHC predicts the storm will remain a major hurricane into midweek, though it is not forecast to make landfall.
In the United States, Dare County, North Carolina, declared a state of emergency and ordered an evacuation of Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks starting Monday. The National Weather Service warned that heavy surf and high winds could wash out parts of Highway 12 along the barrier islands. Dangerous rip currents are expected along the US east coast, the Bahamas, Bermuda and Canada’s Atlantic coast as Erin turns north and north-east.
Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of Atlantic hurricanes to climate change, driven by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Warmer ocean temperatures and increased atmospheric moisture allow hurricanes to strengthen more quickly and unleash heavier rainfall.
