Hurricane Erin Brings Warning of Dangerous Rip Currents for East Coast  

Erin will remain a dangerous major hurricane through the middle of this week.

The National Hurricane Center’s forecast for Hurricane Erin, which became one of the fastest-strengthening Atlantic hurricanes on record after evolving from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm with nearly 160 mph winds in just over a day.

Why It Matters: While authorities predict Hurricane Erin will stay offshore from the mainland U.S., its size could cause large swells and potentially dangerous rip currents along the East Coast. Over the weekend, the storm caused heavy rainfall across Puerto Rico, leaving over 100,000 people without power initially. Forecasters expect more rain over the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas region through Tuesday before the storm potentially doubles or triples in size.

Learn More:  

• Hurricane Erin is one of the fastest rapidly intensifying storms in Atlantic history (CNN) 
• Thousands without power in Puerto Rico as Hurricane Erin pummels region (NBC) 

Image Credit: NOAA