Hurricane Erin has dramatically intensified into a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in just 24 hours, the National Hurricane Center confirmed on Saturday. The first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, its maximum sustained winds more than doubled to a formidable 160 mph (255 kph) by late Saturday morning.
While the compact hurricane's core is not anticipated to make landfall, it poses a significant threat of torrential flooding rains across the northeast Caribbean as it continues to expand. Mike Brennen, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, described Erin as a "very powerful hurricane," noting its winds gained 60 mph (96 kph) in intensity within approximately nine hours on Saturday.
