Erin becomes the first hurricane of the 2025 season
The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is approaching, and the fifth named storm has strengthened into the season's first hurricane in the Atlantic basin this year.
Hurricane Erin has become a Category 1 storm with sustained winds reaching up to 75 mph. It is the fifth tropical system of the season and the first to reach hurricane strength.
As Erin tracks over warm ocean water in the western Atlantic, it is expected to rapidly strengthen to a major hurricane over the weekend, reaching Category 3 or possibly Category 4 strength.
Forecasts indicate that Erin will stay offshore from most land areas, but high surf and rip currents are expected along much of the U.S. East Coast and the Caribbean. The storm will pass north of the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend before turning north away from the Bahamas.
If current trends continue, Erin is likely to track between the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda after it turns north, commonly known as "splitting the uprights." Sports fans understand this term as a field goal, and for hurricanes, it describes storms passing between the U.S. coast and Bermuda.
While the core of Erin will avoid direct impact on most land areas, tropical storm-force winds could affect the Leeward Islands, parts of the Greater Antilles, and Bermuda over the coming week. Wave heights may reach 8 to 12 feet or more in these regions and along the East Coast.
Typically, the first hurricane of the season occurs around August 11th; although Erin is slightly behind schedule, NOAA still forecasts an above-average hurricane season with 13 to 18 named storms, 5 to 9 hurricanes, and 2 to 5 major hurricanes.
