Hurricane Erin exploded in strength and became a major storm in Atlantic waters just north of the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day and bringing heavy rains and high winds to islands in the region.
The first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, Erin reached Category 5 status before weakening somewhat and becoming a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, reports AP.
Late at night the center reported that Erin was “undergoing structural changes” but was still “formidable” as its rain and winds buffeted Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The storm’s center was about 145 miles (230 kilometres) north-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and it was heading toward the west-northwest at 14 mph (22 kph). It was not forecast to make a direct hit on land.
Hurricane centre director Mike Brennen said Erin grew into a “very powerful hurricane,” with its winds gaining 60 mph (96 kph) in about nine hours.
Forecasters predicted that it will remain a major hurricane into the coming week.
The US government deployed more than 200 employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies as a precaution. Puerto Rico Housing Secretary Ciary Pérez Peña said 367 shelters were inspected and ready to open if needed.
Officials in the Bahamas also prepared shelters and urged people to monitor the storm’s progress.
Powerful rip currents could affect the US East Coast from Florida to the mid-Atlantic next week, despite the eye of the storm forecast to remain far offshore, Brennan said.
The most powerful storms tend to form later in the year, with the hurricane season typically peaking in mid-September.
Scientists have linked rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic to climate change. Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapor and is spiking ocean temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly.
Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting for meteorologists and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies.
