Erin becomes a Category 4 hurricane as Caribbean braces for flooding
Tropical storm watches are in place for St. Martin and St. Barthelemy and Sint Maarten. Up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) are expected, with isolated totals of up to 6 inches (15 centimeters), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
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'Locally, considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides, are possible,' the NHC said.
Hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry said Erin is forecast to eventually take a sharp turn northeast that would put it on a path between the U.S. and Bermuda.
'All of our best consensus aids show Erin turning safely east of the United States next week, but it'll be a much closer call for Bermuda, which could land on the stronger eastern side of Erin,' he said.
A warning flag was on a beach in Condado, Puerto Rico.
Alejandro Granadillo/Associated Press
Erin is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, but the first to reach hurricane status.
'Erin is forecast to explode into a powerful Category 4 hurricane as it moves across very warm waters in the open Atlantic. Water temperatures at the surface and hundreds of feet deep are several degrees higher than the historical average,' said Alex DaSilva, Accuweather's lead hurricane expert.
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This year's season is once again expected to be unusually busy. The forecast calls for six to 10 hurricanes, with three to five reaching major status with winds of more than 110 mph (177 kph).
The U.S. government has deployed more than 200 employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies to Puerto Rico as a precaution as forecasters issued a flood watch for the entire U.S. territory from late Friday into Monday.
Puerto Rico Housing Secretary Ciary Pérez Peña said 367 shelters have been inspected and could be opened if needed.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that it closed six seaports in Puerto Rico and two in the U.S. Virgin Islands to all incoming vessels unless they had received prior authorization.
Meanwhile, officials in the Bahamas said they prepared some public shelters as a precaution as they urged people to track the hurricane.
'These storms are very volatile and can make sudden shifts in movement,' said Aarone Sargent, managing director for the Bahamas' disaster risk management authority.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hurricane Erin's outer rainbands pound Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph as its outer bands pounded the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with gusty winds and heavy rains on Sunday. The U.S. East Coast is forecast to have rough ocean conditions through the middle of the week, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is moving westerly at 13 mph in warm waters as Erin grows in size and could affect the East Coast this week, the NHC reported in an 11 a.m. EDT update. "The track guidance is in good agreement on the northward turn but there are differences in how close the hurricane will come to the U.S. East Coast in the 72-hour time frame," NHC forecaster Pasch said in a discussion. The storm was located about 200 miles north-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and about 240 miles east of Grand Turk Island after passing the Leeward Islands on Saturday. The season's first Atlantic hurricane reached Category 5 status Saturday morning, the highest in the class, after rapidly intensifying overnight. It became a Category 1 hurricane on Friday, the year's fifth named storm. Erin dropped to a Category 4 and then a 3 overnight into Sunday, but remained a major hurricane. If winds reach 130 mph, Erin would be listed as a Category 4 hurricane. "Since the large-scale environment is expected to be favorable for about another day, re-strengthening is possible during that time period," NHC forecaster John Cangialsi. "However, it should be noted that predicting the intensity evolution from internal dynamics are challenging, and models often provide Little reliability in their solutions." There is a tropical storm warning for the Turks and Caicos Islands and a tropical storm watch is in effect for the southeast Bahamas. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 25 miles from the center, and tropical-force ones up to 205 miles. The storm was skirting Puerto Rico rather than hitting it directly. Erin's motion is expected to decrease in forward speed on Sunday, followed by a gradual turn to the north on Monday and Tuesday, NHC said. On the forecast track, Erin's core is projected to pass to the east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas on Sunday and Monday. By Thursday, the storm is forecast to be a few hundred miles west of Bermuda and just outside the big tracking cone. Erin is then forecast to travel north hundreds of miles from the East Coast. Erin's outer bands will produce rainfall of 3 to 6 inches across the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with isolated totals of up to 8 inches. "Locally considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides, are possible," NHC said. Also, swells will affect those places, as well as Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands, during the next couple of days, the agency said. "Erin is expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents along the beaches of the Bahamas, much of the East Coast of the U.S., Bermuda, and Atlantic Canada during the next several days," Cangialsi said. He said interests along the North Carolina and mid-Atlantic coasts, as well are Bermuda "should monitor the progress of Erin as there is a risk of strong winds associated with the outer rainbands during the middle of next week." Erin became the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic storm season on Friday. There have been four named storms so far this season in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Chantal caused major flooding in North Carolina but has been the only of the four to make landfall in the United States this year. The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30. The peak hurricane season goes from mid-August through September and into mid-October. Ninety-three percent of hurricane landfalls along the U.S. Gulf Coast and the East Coast have occurred from August through October, the Weather Channel reported in citing data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Last year at this time, there also had been five named storms.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Life-Threatening' Damage Expected to Hit Several Areas, Despite Hurricane Erin's Downgrade to Category 3 Storm
Hurricane Erin reached a catastrophic Category 5 status before weakening early morning on Sunday, Aug. 17 NEED TO KNOW On Sunday, Aug. 17, Hurricane Erin was downgraded to a Category 3 storm after previously reaching a catastrophic Category 5 status According to the National Hurricane Center, the hurricane is still expected to produce "life-threatening" conditions in several areas Tropical storm conditions are expected in the Turks and Caicos Islands and Puerto Rico before possibly reaching in the Southeast Bahamas tonight Hurricane Erin remains a threat to life despite no longer being a Category 5 storm. Early morning on Sunday, Aug. 17, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Hurricane Erin as wind speeds eased, according to Reuters and NPR. The tropical storm is still expected to bring poor weather conditions to several locations. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in an updated report that heavy rainfall will continue throughout Puerto Rico, while diminishing over the Virgin Islands today. This will pose a risk of flash flooding and landslides, or mudslides. The Turks and Caicos Islands are also likely to be hit before the tropical storm moves through the Bahamas from Sunday evening through Tuesday, Aug. 19. "Erin is expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents along the beaches of the Bahamas, much of the East Coast of the U.S., Bermuda, and Atlantic Canada during the next several days," according to the report. The storm's rapid intensification makes it "one of the fastest-strengthening Atlantic hurricanes on record, and potentially the fastest intensification rate for any storm earlier than September 1," CNN reported. The level of intensification typically happens in September and October, according to the outlet. Rapid intensification is when a hurricane gains at least 35 mph of sustained winds in 24 hours, per NOAA. Erin began as a tropical storm that swept through the Cape Verde Islands on Tuesday, Aug. 12. The heavy rainfall and flooding "overwhelmed emergency services and cut key roads' in the island located off of West Africa, resulting in nine deaths and 1500 displaced, Reuters reported. The National Hurricane Center warned that the storm was expected to strengthen as it passed over warm Caribbean waters, according to NPR. By Friday, Aug. 15, the storm had strengthened into a hurricane. This storm comes nearly eight years after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico as a category 4 storm, killing more than 3,000 people and causing an estimated $90 billion in damages. Maria struck on Sept. 20, 2017, and quickly became the first hurricane of its strength to hit the island since 1932. Torrential downpour and violent winds ravaged the electrical grid and sent thousands fleeing to the mainland. Months later, businesses struggled to recover, and residents had difficulty obtaining basic necessities. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was heavily criticized after failures resulted in only half of the island able to access clean drinking water, among other essentials. Ramón A. Paez Marte, of Canóvanas, told NBC News in 2018 that at least seven people he knew died in the hurricane's aftermath, including a man in his 30s, who had been rescuing stranded elderly residents. 'He didn't even last one month,' Paez Marte said of the young man. 'He had a wound and when he dove into the flood waters trying to help people, I guess it caught a really bad infection and they couldn't cure it.' According to findings from The New York Times, more than one million people requested help from the agency — and 58 percent were denied. 'We all have some sort of [post-traumatic stress disorder]. It's a trauma,' San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto told ABC News in 2018. 'It's not a shock, it's a trauma.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. In February of 2018, the Senate reached a two-year budget deal that awarded Puerto Rico almost $16 billion in aid. However, the number falls short of the $94.4 billion figure that officials said they needed to rebuild the island and prevent future devastation, per The New York Times. Years later, in 2022, Hurricane Fiona also made landfall in Puerto Rico, bringing 'catastrophic and life-threatening flooding' as the slow-moving Category 1 storm dumped trillions of gallons of water on the island. Read the original article on People
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
New Disturbance in the Atlantic Tracking Behind Erin: What to Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is monitoring a new disturbance in the Atlantic Sunday tracking behind Hurricane Erin. The new disturbance shows a 20 percent chance of forming within the next seven days, according to the NHC. It comes as the NHC continues to issue advisories for Erin, which quickly strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane on Saturday before being downgraded to a Category 3. As of Sunday morning, Erin remained on the track west-northwest, producing gusty winds and heavy rains near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Newsweek has reached out to the NHC via email Sunday for more information. Why It Matters Erin rapidly intensified into a major hurricane, resulting in dangerous marine conditions and heavy rain across parts of the northeastern Caribbean. As the Atlantic Hurricane Season reaches its peak, typically from Mid-August to October, storms produced in this area have a higher likelihood of development. What To Know There are currently three listed systems in the Atlantic, a map from the NHC shows. These include Erin, Disturbance 1 and Disturbance 2. Disturbance 1 is an area of low pressure off the coast of North Carolina, which has only a 10 percent chance of development over the next seven days, according to the NHC Tropical Outlook. The system is expected to drift eastward as it produces showers and thunderstorms. Disturbance 2 is a tropical wave, located in the Central Tropical Atlantic near Cabo Verde, and is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. The system is moving in the same direction and similar path to Erin, heading westward to west-northwestward at 15 to 20 miles per hour. Erin is currently moving west-northwest at about 14 mph, with a minimum central pressure near 940 millibars and maximum sustained winds near 125 mph, according to the latest NHC advisory issued Sunday morning. Erin is expected to remain a large and powerful system capable of producing dangerous offshore conditions, prompting maritime warnings along the East Coast of the U.S. A new disturbance has formed in the Atlantic, according to a map from the National Hurricane Center on August 17. A new disturbance has formed in the Atlantic, according to a map from the National Hurricane Center on August 17. National Hurricane Center What People Are Saying The National Hurricane Center said in an advisory issued Sunday morning: "A tropical wave located near the Cabo Verde Islands is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Some gradual development of this system is possible during the middle to latter portion of the week while the system moves westward to west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic. Formation chance through 48 0 percent. Formation chance through 7 percent." The NWS Miami wrote on social media: "Regardless of pre season forecasts or the final storm tally, it only takes one storm to make it an impactful year for your community. Hurricane season is a marathon, not a sprint." What Happens Next? Forecasters continue to monitor Erin's fluctuations and movements as it makes its way towards the East Coast. Many forecasters predict Erin's track to swing north and out to sea over the next few days. Disturbance 2 is still in the early stages and will continue to be tracked by NHC. While it carries low short-term probabilities for tropical cyclogenesis in the immediate 48–72 hour, the disturbance could strengthen as it moves into the central Atlantic, where warmer waters and reduced shear later in August could favor development, according to NHC.
