Hurricane Erin weakens to a Category 3 but remains dangerous
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Forecasters said Erin should begin to slowly weaken as it increased wind shear. However, it's predicted to remain a major hurricane until late next week.
The storm will remain a major hurricane through the middle of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane Erin has turned into a Category 4 storm, rapidly powering up over the course of 24 hours, the National Hurricane Center said.
After briefly weakening, Hurricane Erin has re-intensified into a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane Erin continues to rapidly intensify in the Atlantic Ocean with its outer bands starting to impact the northern Leeward Islands.
Powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone a period of astonishingly rapid intensification — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It was a rare Category 5 for a time Saturday before becoming a Category 4, churning through the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean.
The hurricane was about 330 miles east-southeast of Grand Turk Island with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour, down from 160 earlier.
Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies. Hurricane Erick, a Pacific storm that made landfall June 19 in Oaxaca, Mexico, also strengthened rapidly, doubling in intensity in less than a day.
Tropical Storm Erin is likely to become Hurricane Erin shortly. It's now tracking over ocean water that's in the low 80s, and the dry and dusty air that has had a stranglehold on the circulation is dissipating.
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