A hurricane making its way across the Caribbean Sea has quickly turned into a Category 5 storm, having rapidly strengthened in just 24 hours.
Hurricane Erin – the first of the 2025 Atlantic season – has raced from maximum sustained winds of 100mph (160kph) to 160mph (255kph).
It gained power as it began moving westward past the Leeward Islands – which include Anguilla, Guadaloupe, and the Virgin Islands – on Saturday.
While the hurricane is not forecast to make landfall, it is expected to “produce life-threatening surf and rip currents” as it turns northward next week, the US National Hurricane Centre said.
Beaches in the Bahamas, much of the east coast of the United States and even Atlantic Canada will be affected, it added.
Protruding US coastal areas – such as Long Island, New York and Cape Cod – face a higher risk of direct and potentially severe tropical storm or hurricane conditions, AccuWeather said.
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The hurricane’s impact is already being felt on multiple islands. Tropical storm watches have been issued for some Caribbean islands, including St Barts and St Maarten.
The National Hurricane Centre has warned heavy rain could cause flash flooding, landslides and mudslides, saying Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands could be affected on Sunday.
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The US government deployed more than 200 workers, including employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to Puerto Rico as a precaution when a flood watch for the territory was issued earlier this week.
With hurricane-force winds extending 30 miles from its centre, Erin is considered compact in size. But it is expected to grow up to double, or even triple, its current size in the coming days.
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Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies.
Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean to climate change, as global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapour and spiking ocean temperatures.
The warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to strengthen quickly and unleash more rain.
Erin is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began on 1 June and runs until 30 November. It is the first to become a hurricane.
