Ernesto regains hurricane strength, posing danger with life-threatening waves and rip currents along East Coast

Hurricane Ernesto regained strength on Sunday in the open Atlantic Ocean, reaching maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane again. The storm was located about 435 miles south-east of Halifax, Canada, and was moving north-northeast at 20 mph. It is expected to intensify before weakening back into a tropical storm by Tuesday. Ernesto created life-threatening surf and rip currents along the East Coast, prompting New York City to close beaches and New Jersey to issue warnings to beachgoers. In North Carolina and South Carolina, there were two drownings attributed to rip currents, but it was unclear if Ernesto was to blame as those areas are subject to rip currents year-round. Dramatic videos showed a stilted home collapsing into the ocean on Hatteras Island, North Carolina, but there were no injuries reported. National Weather Service advisories for life-threatening rip currents were issued along the coast from North Carolina to Rhode Island, with wave heights of 5 to 6 feet reported. The hurricane center warned of possible life-threatening surf and rip currents from Bermuda to Canada for the next few days. Coastal flood advisories were issued for ten million people along the East Coast due to the potential for moderate to major coastal flooding.

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