Hurricane Erin strengthens to a fierce Category 5 storm in the Atlantic
- Hge News
- Aug 17
- 2 min read
Hurricane Erin on Saturday strengthened into a fearsome Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 160 mph as the storm traveled west over the Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The hurricane is not expected to make a direct hit on the United States, but it will still drive dangerous surf conditions along the East Coast.
"We still expect this to eventually make a more northward turn and stay offshore of the East Coast of the United States. So that certainly is good news when dealing with a storm this powerful," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dan Pydynowski told USA TODAY.
Under the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Category 5 hurricanes are the strongest possible, with minimum winds of 157 mph.
On the afternoon of Aug. 16, Erin was passing to the north of the northern Leeward Islands in the Caribbean and was just over 200 miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Erin is only the fifth Category 5 hurricane on record to form this early in the hurricane season and the only Category 5 observed outside the Gulf or Caribbean this early in the year, according to WPLG-TV hurricane specialist Michael Lowry.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1 and will last through the end of November. Active hurricane weather typically peaks between mid-August and mid-October. The first hurricane of the Atlantic season on average forms on about Aug. 11.
Where is Hurricane Erin? Storm path tracker
As of 2 p.m. on Aug. 16, Erin was located about 110 miles north of Anguilla, one of the most northward of the Leeward Islands, and 205 miles east-northeast of Puerto Rico. It was moving west at about 16 mph with wind speeds of 160 mph.
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.
Erin strengthened rapidly and is expected to grow
Erin formed as a hurricane on Aug. 15. It was the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, and quickly became the first major hurricane as well. A major hurricane is one that reaches at least Category 3 status.
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