Hurricane Erin vaulted to catastrophic Category 5 strength on Saturday, packing sustained winds of about 160 mph and a central pressure near 917 mb, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. At 2 p.m. Atlantic time the compact storm was located roughly 110 miles north of Anguilla and 205 miles east-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, moving west at 16 mph. Forecasters expect Erin’s core to stay just north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico through Sunday, but outer rainbands could dump up to 6 inches of rain, triggering flash-flood and landslide threats. Tropical-storm watches are in effect for St. Martin, St. Barts and Sint Maarten, and officials in the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos have begun opening shelters and urging residents to monitor the storm. Even if its eye remains offshore, Erin is forecast to generate large swells and rip currents that reach the Bahamas, Bermuda and much of the U.S. East Coast early next week. The National Weather Service warns of dangerous surf and coastal erosion from the Carolinas to New England between Aug. 20 and Aug. 27. Erin is the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season and the fifth named storm overall. It intensified from a 75 mph Category 1 hurricane to Category 5 in roughly 24 hours, a burst powered by exceptionally warm Atlantic waters and low wind shear. U.S. authorities have deployed more than 200 FEMA staff to Puerto Rico and closed eight regional seaports as a precaution while the hurricane’s long-range track is monitored.