American Hurricane "Ernesto" passes by Puerto Rico

The tropical cyclone "Ernesto" has become a hurricane near Puerto Rico and has caused widespread power outages. The storm's center passed the east coast of the US Caribbean territory in the morning (local time). According to the US hurricane center (NHC), "Ernesto" gained strength and reached sustained wind speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour. According to the provider Luma Energy, more than 600,000 connections - a good 40 percent of all customers - are without power.

Local media reported heavy rain, flooding and fallen trees. According to a report in the newspaper "El Nuevo Día", an evacuation of affected areas was ordered in the municipality of Toa Baja, near the capital San Juan, due to the risk of flooding.

The Virgin Islands also felt the effects of the storm. According to the NHC, "Ernesto" is expected to move in a northerly direction away from the Greater Antilles and approach Bermuda in the North Atlantic from Friday. It is expected to gain further strength in the coming days.

Strong storms are becoming more likely due to climate change

Climate change is increasing the likelihood of strong storms. Due to the particularly warm ocean water and the expected onset of "La Niña", a phase of cooler water in the Pacific, the US weather agency NOAA has warned that the hurricane season in the Atlantic is likely to be particularly strong this year - it begins in June and lasts six months. At the beginning of July, "Beryl" was the earliest category 5 hurricane ever recorded in a single season.

Puerto Rico has a notoriously unstable power grid. The infrastructure is still suffering from the consequences of the devastating hurricane "Maria", which killed almost 3,000 people there in 2017.

SDA