According to a post to X from Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist for a south Florida news station, Erin is the fifth Category 5 storm 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.”

Hurricane Erin lashes Bahamas and Turks and Caicos with winds, rain, and flooding as forecasters track a new Atlantic tropical threat.

Erin is expected to become a hurricane Friday morning, Aug. 15 and a major hurricane by Sunday morning. A major hurricane is a Category 3 or stronger storm with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph. ➤ Weather alerts via text : Sign up to get updates about current storms and weather events by location

Most of Erin’s intensification occurred during a 12- to 15-hour window overnight, according to Dan Pydynowski, a meteorologist at AccuWeather. By 5 p.m. Friday, Erin’s winds had remained only 75 mph.

While Erin is expected to take a northward turn in the Atlantic, a new system off the coast of Africa has the National Hurricane Center's attention.

The National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Erin is expected to begin strengthening today, Aug. 13 and become a hurricane Friday, Aug. 15, and a strong Category 3 hurricane by Sunday, Aug. 17 as it moves out of an area with dry area and "marginal" sea surface temperatures.

Hurricane Erin is forecast to remain well offshore but still bring hazardous currents and possible erosion like previous offshore hurricanes before it.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Hurricane Erin is still expected to churn up dangerous waves and rip currents and could bring tropical force winds to North Carolina’s Outer Banks.