Hurricane Erin Explodes Into Category 5 Beast

Hurricane Erin stunned forecasters Saturday, rocketing from a tropical storm to a Category 5 monster in just 24 hours. Packing 160 mph winds, Erin was located about 135 miles north-northwest of Anguilla, churning west at 15 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Though not currently on track to make landfall, Erin’s outer bands are lashing the northern Caribbean, prompting tropical storm watches for St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, Sint Maarten, and the Turks and Caicos. Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the northern Leewards face torrential rainfall through Sunday, with threats of flooding, landslides, and mudslides.

The storm is expected to grow in size, creating dangerous seas across the western Atlantic. Erin is forecast to eventually swerve northeast, avoiding the U.S. mainland but potentially threatening Bermuda. Still, protruding U.S. coastal areas like the Outer Banks, Long Island, and Cape Cod face elevated risks.

Erin is the fifth named storm of this hurricane season, but the first to reach hurricane status. Forecasters predict an unusually active season: six to ten hurricanes, three to five major.

In preparation, the U.S. Coast Guard shuttered multiple ports in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, while FEMA deployed over 200 personnel to the region. The Bahamas also opened shelters as a precaution.

Officials urged caution: storms of this strength can change paths quickly.