MIAMI – Hurricane Erin strengthened on Friday, becoming the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. Now, all eyes are watching what this system does next as it treks just north of the Caribbean islands.
The National Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Erin's winds reached 75 mph Friday morning, officially designating it as a hurricane.
Tropical Storm Watches are in effect for Anguilla, Barbuda, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, Saba and St. Eustatius, which means tropical storm conditions are possible during the next 48 hours.
Forecast models show Erin has the potential to become a major Category 4 hurricane with winds reaching at least 130 mph on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
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Erin's center is expected to move near or just north of the northern Leeward Islands over the weekend, according to the NHC.
There is still some uncertainty regarding Erin's exact impact on the East Coast of the U.S., the Bahamas and Bermuda, the Hurricane Center said in its Friday morning discussion.
While at this point it doesn’t appear as though the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico will take a direct hit from Hurricane Erin, preparations for potential impacts are underway nonetheless.
Erin was designated a tropical storm on Monday, after first being an area worth further investigation known as Invest 97L. Before even becoming a named system, Invest 97L brought heavy rain to the Cabo Verde islands, causing multiple deaths and major flooding damage.
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Until now, the 2025 season has produced four tropical storms – Andrea, Barry, Chantal and Dexter – but no hurricanes.
The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season occurs on Sept. 10.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
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