A formidable Hurricane Erin has intensified into a Category 4 storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph), as it battered parts of the Caribbean. The powerful system is now forecast to generate dangerous surf and rip currents along the US East Coast later this week.
According to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami, Erin’s outer bands lashed the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico late on Sunday. Tropical storm conditions were anticipated for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeast Bahamas overnight into Monday.