Hurricane Erin strengthens into a Category 2 and is expected to further intensify, forecasters say
The hurricane was located 250 miles (405 kilometers) northeast of Anguilla as of the hurricane center's 11 p.m. EDT advisory. It had maximum sustained wind speeds of 100 mph (160 kph) and was moving west north-west at 17 mph (27 kph).
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Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Hurricane Erin explodes in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Atlantic near Caribbean Islands
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in Atlantic waters just north of the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said. While the compact hurricane's center was not expected to strike land, it threatened to dump flooding rains in the northeast Caribbean as it continued to grow larger.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Hurricane Erin strengthens to 'very powerful' Category 5 storm in Caribbean
Social Sharing Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. While the compact hurricane's centre isn't expected to strike land, it threatens to dump flooding rains on the northeast Caribbean as it continues to grow larger. The first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, Erin ramped up from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in a mere 24 hours. By late Saturday morning, its maximum sustained winds more than doubled to 255 km/h. Mike Brennan, director of the NHC in Miami, said Erin had grown into a "very powerful hurricane." He said its winds gained 96 km/h in intensity within about nine hours on Saturday. "We expect to see Erin peak here in intensity relatively soon," Brennan said in an online briefing. The NHC said Erin should weaken somewhat late Saturday or early Sunday as the storm encounters increased wind shear and possibly takes in more dry air. However, forecasters predict it will remain a major hurricane until midweek. The hurricane was located 180 kilometres north of Anguilla at 2 p.m. Saturday, moving west at 26 km/h. The storm's centre was forecast to remain at sea, passing 233 kilometres north of Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. Erin was close enough to affect nearby islands. Tropical storm watches were issued for St. Martin, St. Barts and St. Maarten. The NHC warned that heavy rain in some areas could trigger flash flooding, landslides and mudslides. Tropical-storm force wind gusts are possible in the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeast Bahamas. WATCH | Hurricane forecasters are worried this season: Hurricane forecasters are worried this season 2 days ago For The National, CBC's Katie Nicholson went to Florida to find out more about how the Trump administration's cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are playing out with the people on the front lines of public safety. Though compact in size, with hurricane-force winds extending 45 kilometres from its centre, the NHC said Erin was expected to double or even triple in size in the coming days. Erin could create powerful rip currents off the U.S. east coast from Florida to the mid-Atlantic next week, even with its eye forecast to remain far offshore, Brennan said. 'Incredible for any time of year' 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 August 16th." 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. WATCH | Why 'once-in-a-lifetime' storms might be coming more than once: Why 'once-in-a-lifetime' storms might be coming more than once 7 months ago In October 2005, Hurricane Wilma rocketed from a tropical storm to a Category 5 storm in less than 24 hours, according to NHC advisories from that time. Wilma weakened to a Category 3 hurricane before striking Florida. 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 about Category 5 hurricanes. Conditions needed for hurricanes to reach this strength include very warm ocean water, little to no wind shear and being far from land, he said. Scientists have linked rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean to climate change. Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapour and is spiking ocean temperatures. The warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly. WATCH | Hurricane conspiracy theories become a new storm: In the aftermath of Hurricanes Milton and Helene, conspiracy theorists are now blaming the disasters on everyone from meteorologists to Democrats who they claim manipulated the storms to suppress Republican voters and divert resources to illegal immigrants. 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 on 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. It's the first to become a hurricane. The 2025 hurricane season is 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 177 km/h. People urged to track storm In San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, locals and tourists walked, exercised and shopped on Saturday as usual. Restaurants were busy, and despite warnings to avoid the beaches, people could be seen in the water at Ultimo Trolley and Ocean Park beaches. Parents, however, kept their children from swimming. Sarahi Torres and Joanna Cornejo, visiting San Juan from California for a Bad Bunny concert, said they decided to go to the beach and wade into the water because the skies appeared 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 to Puerto Rico as a precaution. Puerto Rico Housing Secretary Ciary Perez Pena said 367 shelters were inspected and ready to open if needed. 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.
Global News
5 hours ago
- Global News
Hurricane Erin explodes in strength to a Category 5 storm in Caribbean
Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. While the compact hurricane's center wasn't expected to hit land, it threatened to dump flooding rains as it continued to grow larger. Mike Brennen, director of the center in Miami, said Erin had swiftly grown into a 'very powerful hurricane,' racing from maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (160 kph) to 160 mph (257 kph) in a mere nine hours. 'We expect to see Erin peak here in intensity relatively soon,' Brennan said during an online briefing. The first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, Erin ramped up from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in a mere 24 hours. Story continues below advertisement By late Saturday morning, its maximum sustained winds more than doubled to 160 mph (255 kph). The hurricane was located 105 miles (170 kilometers) north of Anguilla at about 11 a.m. Saturday, moving west at 17 mph (28 kph). The storm's center was forecast to remain at sea without hitting landing, passing north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Erin was close enough to affect nearby islands. Tropical storm watches were issued for St. Martin, St. Barts and St. Maarten. The Hurricane Center warned that heavy rain in some areas could trigger flash flooding, landslides and mudslides. Tropical-storm force wind gusts are possible in the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeast Bahamas. Though compact in size, with hurricane-force winds extending 30 miles (45 km) from its center, the Hurricane Center said Erin was expected to double or even triple in size in the coming days. Story continues below advertisement That means the hurricane could create powerful rip currents off parts of the U.S. East Coast later in the week, even with its eye forecast to remain far offshore. 2:02 Canadian Hurricane Centre calling for an active storm season Protruding U.S. coastal areas — such as North Carolina's Outer Banks, Long Island, New York, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts — face a higher risk of direct and potentially severe tropical storm or hurricane conditions than much of the southern Atlantic, mid-Atlantic and northern New England coasts, AccuWeather said. Scientists have linked rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean to climate change. Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapor and is spiking ocean temperatures. The 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. Story continues below advertisement Erin is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. It's the first to become a hurricane. The 2025 hurricane season is 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. Associated Press reporter Isabella O'Malley contributed from Philadelphia.
