Hurricane Erin, which formed west of Cabo Verde early last week, became the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2025 season on 15 August and underwent explosive intensification within 24 hours. By 16 August the system had reached Category 5 strength with sustained winds of 160 mph, the earliest such storm on record in five years. After fluctuating, Erin regained power overnight and was a Category 4 hurricane on Monday morning with maximum sustained winds near 130 mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center placed the eye about 105 miles north of Grand Turk Island and roughly 915 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, moving northwest at 13 mph. Forecast models keep the core offshore, steering the storm between Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast later this week while remaining a large, dangerous hurricane. Tropical-storm warnings are in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands and parts of the southeast Bahamas, where winds could exceed 40 mph. Farther north, Dare County, North Carolina, declared a state of emergency and ordered the evacuation of Hatteras Island ahead of expected coastal flooding and waves that could top 15 feet. Erin’s hurricane-force winds extend up to 80 miles from the center, with tropical-storm-force winds reaching 230 miles, increasing the area exposed to hazardous seas. The storm’s outer bands delivered 3 to 6 inches of rain to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands over the weekend, cutting electricity to as many as 147,000 customers and disrupting air travel. Even without a U.S. landfall, the NHC warns that life-threatening surf, rip currents and beach erosion are likely from Florida through Atlantic Canada throughout the week, and shipping interests in the western Atlantic have been advised to reroute until the system passes.