Hurricane Erin tracker: Maps show mega 160mph storm heading straight for tourist hotspot
Maps show where Hurricane Erin is set to strike as forecasters warn the monster storm could strengthen again in the coming days.
Erin, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, has already packed a terrifying punch, exploding into a Category 5 beast on Saturday before weakening slightly to a still-dangerous Category 3 on Sunday.
The storm is currently swirling north of Puerto Rico with sustained winds of 125mph, but experts at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) say it is 'likely to strengthen again'. It comes after an exciting heatwave forecast with maps revealing the exact date a 39C heat plume will scorch the UK.
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Tracking maps show Erin steering a path just north of the Caribbean islands and heading west-northwest at around 13mph. The Bahamas, Bermuda and the Outer Banks of North Carolina are all being urged to keep a close watch, with the system expected to remain a major hurricane through midweek.
Tropical storm warnings are already in place for the Turks and Caicos Islands and parts of the southeastern Bahamas, where heavy rains and fierce winds are lashing communities. The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are facing downpours of up to 8 inches in isolated spots, raising fears of flooding. Dangerous swells are forecast to batter coastlines from Hispaniola to the Turks and Caicos in the coming days.
Although the hurricane is not currently expected to make a direct hit on the US East Coast, its massive size, having doubled in recent days, and could still whip up rip currents, gusty winds and flooding tides as far north as the Carolinas, CBS News reports.
Meteorologist Richard Pasch from the NHC warned: 'You're dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It's a dangerous hurricane in any event.'
Experts say Erin has been undergoing an 'eyewall replacement cycle', when a storm becomes so powerful it builds a new, larger eye. That can cause a temporary dip in strength, but it often means the hurricane comes back even more intense.
Forecast 'spaghetti maps' show Erin tracking northward, skirting the Caribbean islands and staying offshore of the mainland U.S. A strong high-pressure system over the Atlantic and an incoming cold front should steer it away from the Eastern Seaboard, according to CBS meteorologists.
The storm formed last Monday near Africa's Cabo Verde islands and quickly became the fifth named storm of the season. With hurricane season now nearing its September peak, U.S. weather chiefs are warning of an above-normal year, with as many as 18 named storms expected.
Officials in the region are urging residents not to be complacent. Beaches are already closed in parts of the Virgin Islands, ferry services are being suspended, and emergency shelters have been readied. Even if Erin does not make landfall, forecasters say the knock-on effects could be life-threatening, with treacherous seas, flash floods and landslides possible. The sheer size of the storm means millions could feel its impact, even hundreds of miles from the hurricane's centre.
For now, all eyes are on Erin's projected path and whether the storm powers back up to the catastrophic Category 5 strength seen on Saturday.
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Reuters
39 minutes ago
- Reuters
Hurricane Erin could bring dangerous seas as it grows near the Bahamas
Aug 18 (Reuters) - 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 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 1800 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. 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. 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 islands. 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.
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Hurricane Erin forecast to create life-threatening waves along US east coast
Evacuations were being ordered on islands along North Carolina's outer banks even though the storm is unlikely to make direct landfall. Authorities warned that some roads could be swamped by waves of 15 feet (4.6 metres). The monster storm intensified to a category four with 140 mph maximum sustained winds early on Monday while it started to lash the Turks and Caicos Islands and the south-east Bahamas, according to the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami. Forecasters are confident that Erin will turn north east and away from the eastern US, but it is still expected to produce dangerous waves and rip currents and could bring tropical force winds to North Carolina coast, said Dave Roberts of the centre. Evacuations were ordered on Monday on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands on the outer banks, coming at the height of tourist season on the thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands that juts far into the Atlantic Ocean. Coastal flooding was expected to begin on Tuesday and continue through Thursday. There are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds and waves could wash out parts of the main highway running along the barrier islands, the National Weather Service said. Some routes could be impassible for several days, authorities warned. But there were no signs of panic on Hatteras Island, said Angela Tawes, a co-owner of Conner's Supermarket. 'It's so beautiful outside. It's hard for people to feel like there's a hurricane coming when it's so gorgeous,' she said. Erin, the year's first Atlantic hurricane, reached a dangerous category five status on Saturday with 160 mph (260 kph) winds before weakening. It is expected to remain a large, major hurricane into the middle of the week. 'You're dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It's a dangerous hurricane in any event,' the hurricane centre's Richard Pasch said. Early on Monday, the storm was located about 110 miles (180 kilometres) north of Grand Turk Island and about 880 miles (1,400 kilometres) south-east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the south east Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, the hurricane centre said. Erin's outer bands hit parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rains and tropical-storm winds on Sunday. Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic to climate change. Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapour and is spiking ocean temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly.
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Hurricane Erin forecast to create life-threatening waves along US east coast
Evacuations were being ordered on islands along North Carolina's outer banks even though the storm is unlikely to make direct landfall. Authorities warned that some roads could be swamped by waves of 15 feet (4.6 metres). The monster storm intensified to a category four with 140 mph maximum sustained winds early on Monday while it started to lash the Turks and Caicos Islands and the south-east Bahamas, according to the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami. Forecasters are confident that Erin will turn north east and away from the eastern US, but it is still expected to produce dangerous waves and rip currents and could bring tropical force winds to North Carolina coast, said Dave Roberts of the centre. Evacuations were ordered on Monday on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands on the outer banks, coming at the height of tourist season on the thin stretch of low-lying barrier islands that juts far into the Atlantic Ocean. Coastal flooding was expected to begin on Tuesday and continue through Thursday. There are concerns that several days of heavy surf, high winds and waves could wash out parts of the main highway running along the barrier islands, the National Weather Service said. Some routes could be impassible for several days, authorities warned. But there were no signs of panic on Hatteras Island, said Angela Tawes, a co-owner of Conner's Supermarket. 'It's so beautiful outside. It's hard for people to feel like there's a hurricane coming when it's so gorgeous,' she said. Erin, the year's first Atlantic hurricane, reached a dangerous category five status on Saturday with 160 mph (260 kph) winds before weakening. It is expected to remain a large, major hurricane into the middle of the week. 'You're dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It's a dangerous hurricane in any event,' the hurricane centre's Richard Pasch said. Early on Monday, the storm was located about 110 miles (180 kilometres) north of Grand Turk Island and about 880 miles (1,400 kilometres) south-east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the south east Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, the hurricane centre said. Erin's outer bands hit parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rains and tropical-storm winds on Sunday. Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic to climate change. Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapour and is spiking ocean temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly.
