Hurricane Ernesto made landfall on Bermuda early Saturday as a Category 1 storm with 85 mph winds after buffeting the small island nation with wind, heavy rain and intense storm surge overnight.

The National Hurricane Center said that the eye of Ernesto, the third hurricane of 2024 in the Atlantic, moved over Bermuda and made landfall around 2:30 a.m. CDT Saturday.

According to The Associated Press as of Saturday morning, more than three-quarters of utility customers were without power in Bermuda.

The AP said Ernesto also has left hundreds of thousands of people without power or water in Puerto Rico after swiping past the U.S. territory as a tropical storm earlier this week.

Ernesto was moving away from Bermuda on Saturday, but the area was still being hit with strong winds as the storm departed, the hurricane center said.

As of 10 a.m. CDT Saturday, the center of Hurricane Ernesto was located about 15 miles north-northeast of Bermuda and was tracking to the north-northeast at 9 mph.

Ernesto had 85 mph winds, making it a Category 1 hurricane.  The hurricane center said Ernesto could get a bit stronger later this weekend, but it will begin a weakening trend again on Monday.

Ernesto could bring a storm total rainfall of 6 to 9 inches to Bermuda, along with significant coastal flooding.

Winds from the storm are expected to continue through today on the island.