Erin Quickly Becomes a 'Very Powerful Hurricane'

Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said. While the compact hurricane's center wasn't expected to strike land, it threatened to dump flooding rains on the northeast Caribbean as it continued to grow larger. The first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, Erin ramped up from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in a mere 24 hours, the AP reports. By late Saturday morning, its maximum sustained winds more than doubled to 160mph.

Mike Brennen, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said Erin had grown into a "very powerful hurricane." He said its winds gained 60mph in intensity within about nine hours Saturday. "We expect to see Erin peak here in intensity relatively soon," Brennan said in an online briefing. The Hurricane Center said Erin should weaken somewhat late Saturday or early Sunday as the storm encounters increased wind shear and possibly takes in more dry air. However, forecasters predict it will remain a major hurricane until midweek. The outlook:

• Location: The hurricane was 110 miles north of Anguilla at 2 pm Saturday, moving west at 16mph. The storm's center was forecast to remain at sea, passing 145 miles north of Puerto Rico, according to the National Weather Service.
• Close to islands: Tropical storm watches were issued for St. Martin, St. Barts, and St. Maarten. The Hurricane Center warned that heavy rain in some areas could trigger flash flooding, landslides, and mudslides. Tropical-storm force wind gusts are possible in the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeast Bahamas.
• The days ahead: Though compact in size, with hurricane-force winds extending 30 miles from its center, Erin was expected to double or even triple in size in the coming days. The hurricane could create powerful rip currents off the US East Coast from Florida to the mid-Atlantic next week, even with its eye forecast to remain far offshore, Brennan said.

The US government deployed more than 200 employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies to Puerto Rico as a precaution. Puerto Rico Housing Secretary Ciary Pérez Peña said 367 shelters were inspected and ready to open if needed.