Hurricane Erin batters Caribbean, threatens US East Coast with flooding
The storm rapidly intensified over the weekend, briefly reaching Category 5 strength before weakening to a Category 3 hurricane.
The US National Hurricane Center reported maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour as Erin moved northwest at 8 mph.
Jamie Rhome, the NHC deputy director, warned coastal residents not to underestimate Erin's offshore threat.
'Nothing could be further from the truth for portions of the Mid-Atlantic, especially the Outer Banks of North Carolina,' he said.
Evacuations were ordered for Ocracoke and Hatteras islands in North Carolina ahead of anticipated coastal flooding.
Scientists linked Erin's rapid intensification to unusually warm ocean temperatures amplified by climate change.
'Erin is one of the fastest, most intensifying storms in the modern record,' said Climate Central scientist Daniel Gilford.
The Atlantic hurricane season has entered its historical peak period with predictions of above-normal activity.
NOAA forecasts increased storm formation due to warmer Atlantic waters and an active West African monsoon.
Climate change is making hurricanes more intense by increasing wind speeds, rainfall, and storm surge impacts.
Puerto Rico experienced widespread power outages and flooding from Erin's outer bands over the weekend.
The storm's effects will continue through Tuesday across Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas.
Forecasters warn of life-threatening rip currents along much of the US East Coast from Tuesday onward. - AFP
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The Sun
21 hours ago
- The Sun
Hurricane Erin batters Caribbean, threatens US East Coast with flooding
WASHINGTON: Hurricane Erin unleashed powerful winds and torrential rain across the Caribbean on Monday, with its effects expected to reach the US East Coast later this week. The storm rapidly intensified over the weekend, briefly reaching Category 5 strength before weakening to a Category 3 hurricane. The US National Hurricane Center reported maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour as Erin moved northwest at 8 mph. Jamie Rhome, the NHC deputy director, warned coastal residents not to underestimate Erin's offshore threat. 'Nothing could be further from the truth for portions of the Mid-Atlantic, especially the Outer Banks of North Carolina,' he said. Evacuations were ordered for Ocracoke and Hatteras islands in North Carolina ahead of anticipated coastal flooding. Scientists linked Erin's rapid intensification to unusually warm ocean temperatures amplified by climate change. 'Erin is one of the fastest, most intensifying storms in the modern record,' said Climate Central scientist Daniel Gilford. The Atlantic hurricane season has entered its historical peak period with predictions of above-normal activity. NOAA forecasts increased storm formation due to warmer Atlantic waters and an active West African monsoon. Climate change is making hurricanes more intense by increasing wind speeds, rainfall, and storm surge impacts. Puerto Rico experienced widespread power outages and flooding from Erin's outer bands over the weekend. The storm's effects will continue through Tuesday across Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas. Forecasters warn of life-threatening rip currents along much of the US East Coast from Tuesday onward. - AFP
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Hurricane Erin threatens Bahamas with dangerous seas and flooding
RESIDENTS in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos on Monday braced for the Atlantic season's first hurricane, the Category 4 Erin, after it strengthened over the weekend while sweeping past Caribbean islands. While Erin is not on track to make direct landfall and has yet to cause major damage, its growing size and strength are threatening rough seas and have prompted some evacuation orders in parts of North Carolina, on the U.S. East Coast. 'Erin's already large size and intensity are acting like a giant plunger on the sea surface,' AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said in a report. Sosnowski said Erin was among the fastest-strengthening storms on record after it intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane, the highest level of the Saffir-Simpson scale, in just over 27 hours. It makes 2025 the fourth straight Atlantic season with at least one Category 5 storm. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Erin was expected to strengthen somewhat on Monday as it sweeps by the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. It will likely maintain its force as a dangerous major hurricane through the middle of the week, but avoid contact with Bermuda or the U.S. coast. As of Monday at 2100 GMT, the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph) as it skirted north of Hispaniola, the Caribbean's most populous island. Its strength fluctuated over the weekend, rising on Saturday to Category 5 before dropping back to Category 4 late on Sunday. It is the fifth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic season and the first to reach hurricane status. The last Atlantic storm to reach Category 5 intensity was Hurricane Milton in October last year. In Turks and Caicos, an overseas British territory, authorities suspended public services on its largest island and told residents in vulnerable areas to pack in case of evacuation. The Bahamas' meteorology department said the islands' southeast, as well as Turks and Caicos, were experiencing tropical storm conditions, and warned that boats should not go out to sea until the end of the week. 'The seas could become extremely rough and dangerous during the swells,' it said. Kate Williamson, a Bahamian southeastern district administrator, told local media that the small population living on the eight-square-mile island of Long Cay should move to the mainland and residents finalize their storm preparations. NORTH CAROLINA Even though Erin's eye was forecast to stay well offshore, tropical storm conditions and coastal flooding were possible in North Carolina's Outer Banks, beginning late Wednesday, the NHC said. Erin could also produce life-threatening surf and rip currents along much of the U.S. East Coast. A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued from Beaufort Inlet to Duck, North Carolina, including Pamlico Sound, while a storm surge watch is in effect for Cape Lookout to Duck, North Carolina, the forecaster said. A Storm Surge Watch means there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline during the next 48 hours. Evacuation orders have been issued for parts of two North Carolina coastal counties, with forecasters predicting waves up to 20 feet (6.1 m) and dangerous rip currents on Wednesday and Thursday. Two counties - Dare and Hyde - ordered tourists and residents to leave flood-prone barrier islands of Hatteras and Ocracoke. While the narrow islands have just a few hundred year-round residents, about 2.7 million tourists flock to the Outer Banks each year, mostly during the summer, according to the U.S. National Park Service. County officials warned anyone who might consider staying put during the storm that they should not count on getting any help from authorities, due to inaccessible roads. At the Atlantic Inn on Hatteras Island, owner Holly Andrzejewski said that she, her husband and a few employees were going to ride out the storm and keep a watch on their 10-bedroom inn. 'Visitors are supposed to leave today,' she told Reuters by telephone on Monday and residents are supposed to leave tomorrow. But we're staying. We want to safeguard our property.' On nearby Roanoke Island, also in Dare County, no evacuation orders were given as of late Monday, but that could change, said innkeeper Lee Brickhouse of the Roanoke Inn. 'Some guests are rescheduling, and we're just holding our breath that the worst won't happen,' Brickhouse said. - Reuters
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Erin re-intensifies into category 4 hurricane
(Reuters) -Hurricane Erin has re-intensified into a category 4 storm on Sunday after completing an eyewall replacement cycle, with the U.S. National Hurricane Center warning of life-threatening surf and rip currents along the U.S. eastern seaboard this week. The hurricane was about 965 miles (1,555 km) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph). "Some additional strengthening is expected over the next 12 hours followed by gradual weakening," NHC said. (Reporting by Anmol Choubey in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
