Hurricane Erin Becomes Maximum Power as It Approaches the Caribbean

Hurricane Erin intensified on Saturday (16) into a “catastrophic” Category 5 storm as it barreled toward the Caribbean, with weather officials warning of possible flash flooding and landslides.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest report that the storm's maximum sustained winds had increased to 255 kilometers per hour (155 mph) at 11:20 a.m. (12:20 p.m. ET).

Erin, the first hurricane of this year's Atlantic season, was located about 105 miles northeast of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.

“Erin is now a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane,” the NHC said.

Tropical storm warnings remained in effect for St Martin, St Barthelemy and Sint Maarten.

The center of the hurricane is expected to pass over the weekend just north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

The storm could inundate the islands with up to six inches of rain in isolated areas, the NHC said.

Continued rapid strengthening is expected today, followed by variations in intensity through the weekend,” the agency said in an earlier report.

It also warned of “locally considerable flash and urban flooding, as well as landslides or mudslides.”

Swells generated by Erin will affect portions of the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Spanish, and the Turks and Caicos Islands through the weekend.

These waves will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast early next week, creating "life-threatening waves and rip currents," the NHC said.

The hurricane is forecast to turn north by late Sunday. While forecasters expressed confidence that Erin will remain well off the U.S. coast, they said the storm could still cause dangerous surf and erosion in places like North Carolina.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June to the end of November, is expected to be more intense than normal, US meteorologists predict.

Several powerful storms caused devastation in the region last year, including Hurricane Helene, which killed more than 200 people in the southeastern United States.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — which operates the NHC — has been subject to budget cuts and layoffs as part of President Donald Trump's plans to significantly reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, sparking fears of flawed storm forecasts.

Climate change—rising sea temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels—has increased both the likelihood of more intense storms developing and their faster intensification, scientists say.

bur-mlm/abs/pbt/md/bjt/dd/aa