Erin weakens to a Category 3 hurricane, but expected to strengthen anew and grow in size
While Erin's maximum winds diminished, its overall size grew and forecasters issued tropical storm warnings for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeast Bahamas. The hurricane's outer bands were pelting parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rains and tropical-storm winds during the day.
The storm wasn't expected to directly impact the US East Coast, but by doubling or tripling in size it could bring rip currents all along the coast. Gusty winds and flooding tides could wash out parts of the highway that connects the North Carolina Outer Banks by midweek, the National Weather Service said.
Bermuda could have similar conditions as Erin is forecast to turn to the north and then northeast, forecasters said.
Erin, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, reached an exceedingly dangerous Category 5 status Saturday with maximum winds of 160 mph (260 kph) before weakening. The storm's maximum sustained winds were 125 mph (205 kph) Sunday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The winds decreased as the storm went through internal changes. Erin is expected to remain powerful for the next several days and is expected to strengthen somewhat over the next 48 hours as it grows, forecasters said Sunday afternoon.
'You're dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It's a dangerous hurricane in any event,' said Richard Pasch of the National Hurricane Center.
Erin's center was about 275 miles (445 kilometers) northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and 165 miles (270 kilometers) east of Grand Turk Island, moving west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph). On the forecast track, the core of Erin was expected to pass to the east and northeast of the Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas overnight and on Monday.
The rain and winds from the outer bands of the storm left about 147,000 customers without power Sunday morning in Puerto Rico, according to Luma Energy, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of power on the island. The weather canceled more than 20 flights, officials said.
Swells were also expected to affect portions of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands during the next couple of days, forecasters said.
The Coast Guard allowed all ports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to reopen on Sunday as winds and rains in the area decrease.
A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, and in this case, within 24 hours, the hurricane center said. Heavy rain is still expected across the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with rainfall of 3 to 6 inches (about 7.6 to 15 centimeters), with 8 inches (20 centimeters) in some isolated areas.
Scientists have linked the 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
39 minutes ago
- News18
Breathtaking ‘Stadium Effect' Of Hurricane Erin's Eye Captured In Rare Video
Last Updated: Hurricane Erin has now been downgraded to a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 125 mph. A rare and mesmerising glimpse of a hurricane's eye has been captured as Hurricane Erin swept across the Atlantic. Reaching its peak as a Category 5 storm, Erin sustained maximum winds of 160 mph. The striking footage reveals the eerie calm at the storm's centre. The rare video was captured by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, better known as the Hurricane Hunters. It gives a glimpse into the eye of a hurricane like never before. Stunning Footage From Hurricane Hunters 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is a specialised US Air Force squadron that flies directly into hurricanes to collect data that helps scientists track storms more accurately. The team ventured into the eye of Hurricane Erin and recorded footage that shows its calm centre, which was surrounded by powerful spiralling winds. Sharing the video on X (formerly Twitter), the Hurricane Hunters described the scene as a 'breathtaking stadium effect" and emphasised the importance of their work. 'Last night, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flew into the eye of Hurricane Erin—and captured imagery of the breathtaking stadium effect. These missions provide critical data to the NHC to improve forecasts, helping keep communities safe before the storm makes landfall," read the caption shared along with the footage. Current Status And Safety Alerts Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified from a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds at 11 AM on Friday to a Category 5 storm with winds close to 160 mph in just over 24 hours, which made it one of the fastest-strengthening hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, CNN reported. According to a report in Reuters, Hurricane Erin has now been downgraded to a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 125 mph. The storm was approximately 330 miles east-southeast of Grand Turk Island. While no longer a Category 5, Erin is still generating rough ocean conditions across parts of the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands. These conditions are expected to spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda, the east coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada over the coming days. Reuters reported that meteorological agencies in France and the Netherlands have lifted tropical storm watches for St. Martin, St. Barthelemy and Sint Maarten. Meanwhile, the Bahamas has issued a Tropical Storm Watch for the British islands to its southeast. The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has also warned of life-threatening surf and dangerous rip currents. Hurricane Erin has also sparked worries about potential wildfires, as dry vegetation could catch fire if ignited by human activity, with strong, dry winds helping the flames spread. view comments Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: August 18, 2025, 11:15 IST News viral Breathtaking 'Stadium Effect' Of Hurricane Erin's Eye Captured In Rare Video Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Hurricane Erin could generate 100-foot waves as Category 3 storm approaches East Coast
Hurricane Erin is currently a Category 3 storm after weakening from Category 5 intensity reached on Saturday, August 16. The storm initially achieved Category 5 status with 160 mph winds, making it one of the fastest rapidly intensifying storms in Atlantic history. Erin is the fifth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season but the first to reach hurricane status. The hurricane set a record for the lowest minimum central pressure reading measured in an Atlantic hurricane on or before August 16 since 1979. The storm is currently impacting Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rainfall up to 8 inches expected in some areas. Also read: 100-feet high tsunami hits Alaska fjord after glacier ... Wave height predictions exceed 50 feet Jean-Raymond Bidlot, senior scientist in ocean modeling at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), told Newsweek that massive waves are possible due to the storm's severity. "The latest forecast does indeed indicate that the largest significant wave height could reach values in excess of 50 feet with an associated most likely largest wave of more than 100 feet," Bidlot told Newsweek . Live Events — NWS (@NWS) The largest waves are unlikely to reach US beaches directly but could approach the East Coast as the hurricane moves northward. Expert analysis on wave size potential "Hurricanes are known for their very powerful winds, usually confined to an area around the storm center, but as indicated, waves tend to radiate away from the storms, propagating towards coastal areas even though the brunt of the storm might still be miles away from the coast," Bidlot added. "These storm-driven waves might not be the largest but will still be significant and have the potential to create very hazardous conditions when reaching the shore leading to intense surf conditions and dangerous rip currents well before the arrival of the storm clouds and rain associated with the hurricane." AccuWeather's lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva provided a more conservative estimate regarding the 100-foot wave potential. "While 100 feet can't be ruled out, I think they would only be possible if the storm become a Category 4 or 5 storm. I think waves near the center of 50-75 feet are much more realistic (assuming a Category 3 storm)," DaSilva said. National Weather Service issues rip current warnings The National Weather Service has issued official warnings about life-threatening rip current conditions expected along the East Coast. Dangerous surf and rip currents are anticipated from Florida's Space Coast to coastal New England as Erin grows in size. Eight- to 12-foot waves are forecast along Carolina coastlines, creating hazardous beach conditions well before the hurricane's closest approach. "Stay calm and relax. Float to conserve energy. Rip currents don't pull you under. Don't swim against the current. You may be able to escape by swimming out of the current in a direction following the shoreline, or toward breaking waves, then at an angle toward the beach. If you feel you will be unable to reach shore, draw attention to yourself. Call and wave for assistance," the NWS stated. Also read: US braces for Hurricane Erin's wrath: Flooding, landslides expected in Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico amid h Hurricane Erin storm impact timeline The hurricane's wave effects are expected to reach the Eastern US coastline between Thursday, August 21, and Friday, August 22, with very large waves likely from the Carolinas to the Northeast. The storm's growing size as it tracks northward will drive increasingly dangerous surf conditions throughout the week. Fluctuations in Erin's intensity are expected over the next 24 to 48 hours, but the hurricane is forecast to remain a major storm through mid-week, maintaining its potential to generate significant wave action along the coast.
Mint
6 hours ago
- Mint
Hurricane Erin 2025 weakens but powerful storm ‘could double or even triple in size': What we know so far
Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, was downgraded to Category 3 hurricane on Sunday — 'undergone astonishingly rapid changes." However, forecasters warned of a growing risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents along the US Eastern seaboard during the week from what is expected to become a very large hurricane, the Associated Press reported. The storm is expected to continue to fluctuate in intensity and could double or even triple in size as it moves north and west, causing rough ocean conditions across much of the western Atlantic, the Hurricane Center was quoted by CNN as saying. While Erin's maximum winds diminished Sunday, its overall size kept growing as forecasters issued tropical storm warnings for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeast Bahamas. The hurricane's outer bands pelted parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rains and tropical-storm winds during the day. The storm wasn't expected to directly hit the US East Coast, but by doubling or tripling in size, its impacts threatened the North Carolina Outer Banks, the thin, low stretch of barrier islands off the mainland, that juts far out into the Atlantic, Dare County emergency officials said in declaring a state of emergency. They ordered an evacuation of Hatteras Island starting Monday. Several days of heavy surf and high winds and waves could wash out parts of North Carolina Highway 12 running along the barrier islands that are a popular vacation destination, the National Weather Service said. Hurricane Erin, the powerful storm is said to have undergone astonishingly rapid changes. It quickly became a rare Category 5 for a time on Saturday, before weakening and becoming a larger system on Sunday as it churns through the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean. As per CNN, Erin went from a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds at 11 am Friday to a Category 5 with near 160 mph winds just over 24 hours later. The storm's maximum sustained winds were 125 mph (205 kph) Sunday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It put Erin in the history books as one of the fastest-strengthening Atlantic hurricanes on record, and potentially the fastest intensification rate for any storm earlier than September 1. The winds decreased as the storm went through internal changes. Erin is expected to remain powerful for the next several days and is expected to strengthen somewhat over the next 48 hours as it grows, forecasters said Sunday afternoon. The center of the storm is forecast to stay at least 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the Outer Banks but will also bring rip tides all along the East Coast, officials said. Bermuda could have similar conditions as Erin is forecast to turn to the north and then northeast, forecasters said. 'You're dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It's a dangerous hurricane in any event,' said Richard Pasch of the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Erin is still expected to avoid a direct hit on any land mass, passing north of Puerto Rico, then curving north-northeast into the open Atlantic between the East Coast and Bermuda. As it does so, it is expected to double or even triple in size. The rain and winds from the outer bands of the storm left about 147,000 customers without power Sunday morning in Puerto Rico, according to Luma Energy, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of power on the island. The weather canceled more than 20 flights, officials said. Swells were also expected to affect portions of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands during the next couple of days, forecasters said. The Coast Guard allowed all ports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to reopen on Sunday as winds and rains in the area decrease. A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, and in this case, within 24 hours, the hurricane center said. Heavy rain is still expected across the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with rainfall of 3 to 6 inches (about 7.6 to 15 centimeters), with 8 inches (20 centimeters) in some isolated areas. Scientists have linked the 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. (With inputs from agencies)
