Category 4 Hurricane Erin buffets northern Caribbean islands but not forecast to hit land
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.
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 kilometers) 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 center 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.
Erin close enough to land to trigger flooding, landslides
The storm's center was forecast pass north of Puerto Rico, according to the National Hurricane Center. Nevertheless, it said, heavy rain in some areas could trigger flash flooding, landslides and mudslides.
Tropical storm watches were issued for St. Martin, St. Barts and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The National Weather Service in San Juan issued an alert for Saturday night for nearly two thirds of Puerto Rico, warning of 50 mph (80 kph) winds and urging people to shelter in safe structures. Power was knocked out to about 130,000 customers in the territory.
Locals and tourists walked, exercised and shopped as usual earlier in the day in the Puerto Rican capital. Restaurants were busy, and despite warnings to avoid beaches, people could be seen in the water. Parents kept their children from swimming, however.
Sarahi Torres and Joanna Cornejo, who were visiting from California for a Bad Bunny concert, said they decided to go to the beach and wade in because the skies were calm.
"The weather looked fine, so we came out," Torres said.
The U.S. government deployed more than 200 employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies as a precaution. Puerto Rico Housing Secretary Ciary Perez Pena 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 U.S. East Coast from Florida to the mid-Atlantic next week, despite the eye of the storm forecast to remain far offshore, Brennan said.
An 'incredible' race from tropical storm to Category 5
Hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry said Erin gained strength at a pace that was "incredible for any time of year, let alone Aug. 16."
Lowry said only four other Category 5 hurricanes have been recorded in the Atlantic on or before Aug. 16.
The most powerful storms tend to form later in the year, with the hurricane season typically peaking in mid-September.
In October 2005, Hurricane Wilma rocketed from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in less than 24 hours, according to National Hurricane Center advisories from that time. Wilma weakened to a Category 3 hurricane before striking Florida. And in October 2007, Hurricane Felix took just over a day to go from a tropical storm to Category 5.
Including Erin, there have been 43 hurricanes that have reached Category 5 status on record in the Atlantic, said Dan Pydynowski, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, a private forecasting company.
"They're certainly rare, although this would mark the fourth year in a row that we've had one in the Atlantic basin," Pydynowski said. Conditions needed for hurricanes to reach such strength include very warm ocean water, little to no wind shear and being far from land, he said.
Warming climate linked to storms strengthening faster
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. Hurricane Erick, a Pacific storm that made landfall June 19 in Oaxaca, Mexico, also strengthened rapidly, doubling in intensity in less than a day.
Erin is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 and is expected to be unusually busy. Six to 10 hurricanes are predicted for the season, including three to five reaching major status with winds of more than 177 kph.
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The Mainichi
19 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Category 4 Hurricane Erin buffets northern Caribbean islands but not forecast to hit land
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- 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. 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 kilometers) 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 center 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. Erin close enough to land to trigger flooding, landslides The storm's center was forecast pass north of Puerto Rico, according to the National Hurricane Center. Nevertheless, it said, heavy rain in some areas could trigger flash flooding, landslides and mudslides. Tropical storm watches were issued for St. Martin, St. Barts and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The National Weather Service in San Juan issued an alert for Saturday night for nearly two thirds of Puerto Rico, warning of 50 mph (80 kph) winds and urging people to shelter in safe structures. Power was knocked out to about 130,000 customers in the territory. Locals and tourists walked, exercised and shopped as usual earlier in the day in the Puerto Rican capital. Restaurants were busy, and despite warnings to avoid beaches, people could be seen in the water. Parents kept their children from swimming, however. Sarahi Torres and Joanna Cornejo, who were visiting from California for a Bad Bunny concert, said they decided to go to the beach and wade in because the skies were calm. "The weather looked fine, so we came out," Torres said. The U.S. government deployed more than 200 employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies as a precaution. Puerto Rico Housing Secretary Ciary Perez Pena 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 U.S. East Coast from Florida to the mid-Atlantic next week, despite the eye of the storm forecast to remain far offshore, Brennan said. An 'incredible' race from tropical storm to Category 5 Hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry said Erin gained strength at a pace that was "incredible for any time of year, let alone Aug. 16." Lowry said only four other Category 5 hurricanes have been recorded in the Atlantic on or before Aug. 16. The most powerful storms tend to form later in the year, with the hurricane season typically peaking in mid-September. In October 2005, Hurricane Wilma rocketed from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in less than 24 hours, according to National Hurricane Center advisories from that time. Wilma weakened to a Category 3 hurricane before striking Florida. And in October 2007, Hurricane Felix took just over a day to go from a tropical storm to Category 5. Including Erin, there have been 43 hurricanes that have reached Category 5 status on record in the Atlantic, said Dan Pydynowski, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, a private forecasting company. "They're certainly rare, although this would mark the fourth year in a row that we've had one in the Atlantic basin," Pydynowski said. Conditions needed for hurricanes to reach such strength include very warm ocean water, little to no wind shear and being far from land, he said. Warming climate linked to storms strengthening faster 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. Hurricane Erick, a Pacific storm that made landfall June 19 in Oaxaca, Mexico, also strengthened rapidly, doubling in intensity in less than a day. Erin is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 and is expected to be unusually busy. Six to 10 hurricanes are predicted for the season, including three to five reaching major status with winds of more than 177 kph.
The Mainichi
a day ago
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Pakistan's monsoon flooding death toll rises to 220 as forecasters warn of more rain to come
BUNER, Pakistan (AP) -- Flooding in a northwest Pakistani district has killed at least 220 people, officials said Saturday, as rescuers pulled 63 more bodies overnight from homes flattened by flash floods and landslides, with forecasts of more rain in the coming days. One eyewitness, who escaped the deluges in Buner, described seeing floodwaters carrying hundreds of boulders and "tons of rocks" crashing down. Hundreds of rescue workers are still searching for survivors in Buner, one of several places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where torrential rains and cloudbursts caused massive flooding on Friday, said Mohammad Suhail, a spokesman for the emergency services. Dozens of homes were swept away. First responders have been trying to recover bodies from the worst-hit villages of Pir Baba and Malik Pura, where most of the fatalities were, said Kashif Qayyum, a deputy commissioner in Buner. Local police officer Imtiaz Khan, who narrowly escaped the deluges, said floodwaters carrying hundreds of boulders struck and flattened homes within minutes. "A stream near Pir Baba village in Buner swelled without warning. At first, we thought it was a normal flash flood, but when tons of rocks came crashing down with the water, 60 to 70 houses were swept away in moments," Khan told The Associated Press, adding that many bodies were left mutilated. "Our police station was washed away too and if we hadn't climbed to higher ground, we would not have survived," Khan said. Pakistan's Meteorological Department predicted torrential rains in the coming days and warned that monsoon activity was likely to intensify from Sunday onwards, including in the north and northwest. Higher-than-normal monsoon rainfall Rescuers said they saw large swathes of Pir Baba village destroyed, wrecked homes, and giant rocks filling the streets as the water started to recede. "It was not just the floodwater, it was a flood of boulders as well, which we saw for the first time in our lives," said Sultan Syed, 45, who suffered a broken arm. Mohammad Khan, 53, said the floods "came so fast that many could not leave their homes." Most victims died before reaching the hospital, said Mohammad Tariq, a doctor in Buner. "Many among the dead were children and men, while women were away in the hills collecting firewood and grazing cattle." Pakistani leaders, including the prime minister and president, offered their condolences to the families of the dead and said they were praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, said efforts were underway to repair roads and other damaged infrastructure. Pakistan has received higher-than-normal monsoon rainfall this year, which experts link to climate change, triggering floods and mudslides that have killed some 541 people since June 26, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. 'Grief and sorrow everywhere' Mourners attended mass funerals on Saturday, while authorities supplied tents and food to people in Buner. Local cleric Mufti Fazal had led funeral prayers at multiple locations since Friday morning. "Before yesterday's floods, the area was bustling with life. Now, there is grief and sorrow everywhere." Schoolteacher Suleman Khan lost 25 members of his extended family. He and his brother survived only because they were away from home when the floods hit his village Qadar Nagar. In Pir Baba, mourners laid out the covered bodies of their loved ones on wooden bedframes or bore them aloft ahead of burials. In a hospital, paramedics placed blocks of ice next to the deceased or comforted the injured. According to the provincial disaster management authority, at least 351 people have died in rain-related incidents this week across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan. Tourists trapped in flood-hit areas In India-controlled Kashmir, rescuers scoured the remote village of Chositi in the district of Kishtwar on Saturday, looking for dozens of missing people after it was hit by flash floods two days earlier, killing 60 and injuring some 150, about 50 in critical condition. Thursday's floods struck during an annual Hindu pilgrimage in the area. Authorities have rescued over 300 people, while some 4,000 pilgrims have been evacuated to safety. Such cloudbursts are increasingly common in India's Himalayan regions and Pakistan's northern areas, and experts have said climate change is a contributing factor. Pakistani officials said rescuers since Thursday have evacuated more than 3,500 tourists trapped in flood-hit areas across the country. Many travelers have ignored government warnings about avoiding vulnerable regions in the north and northwest. Pakistan witnessed its worst-ever monsoon season in 2022. It killed more than 1,700 people and caused an estimated $40 billion in damage.
Japan Times
a day ago
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Hurricane Erin intensifies offshore, lashes Caribbean with rain
Hurricane Erin rapidly strengthened offshore to a "catastrophic" Category 5 storm on Saturday, as rain lashed Caribbean islands and weather officials warned of possible flash floods and landslides. The first hurricane of what is expected to be a particularly intense Atlantic season, Erin is expected to drench Caribbean islands with rain and strong winds but not make landfall. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest report the storm's maximum sustained winds had increased to 255 kilometers per hour. It was located about 215 kilometers northwest of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. A flash flood warning was issued for Saint Thomas and Saint John in the U.S. Virgin Islands as outer rain bands from Erin swept across, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. Tropical storm watches were in effect for St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, Sint Maarten and the Turks and Caicos Islands. "Erin is now a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane," the NHC announced earlier Saturday, denoting highly dangerous storms with sustained wind speeds above above 157 miles per hour (253 kph). The storm reached the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale just over 24 hours after becoming a Category 1 hurricane, a rapid intensification that scientists say has become more common due to global warming. The hurricane's center is expected to move over the weekend just north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. It is then forecast to pass east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas on Sunday night before weakening. The storm could drench the islands with as much 15 centimeters of rain in isolated areas, the NHC said. "Continued rapid strengthening is expected today, followed by fluctuations in intensity through the weekend," the agency said in an earlier report. It also warned of "locally considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides." Swells generated by Erin will affect portions of the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands through the weekend. Those swells will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast early next week, creating "life-threatening surf and rip currents," the NHC said. The hurricane is expected to turn northwest on Saturday night, then turn northward early next week. It is expected to weaken from Monday. While meteorologists have expressed confidence that Erin will remain well off the U.S. coastline, they said the storm could still cause dangerous waves and erosion in places such as North Carolina. The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June until late November, is expected to be more intense than normal, U.S. meteorologists predict. Several powerful storms wreaked havoc 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 U.S. President Donald Trump's plans to greatly reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, leading to fears of lapses in storm forecasting. Human-driven climate change — namely, rising sea temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels — has increased both the possibility of the development of more intense storms, and their more rapid intensification, scientists say.
