WASHINGTON, DC – Hurricane Erin rapidly strengthened offshore to a “catastrophic” Category 5 storm on Saturday (Sunday Manila time), as rain lashed Caribbean islands and weather officials warned of possible flash floods and landslides.
The first hurricane of what is expected to be a particularly intense Atlantic season, Erin is expected to drench Caribbean islands with rain and strong winds but not make landfall.
“The center of Erin is expected to move just north of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico through Sunday, and pass to the east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas Sunday night and Monday,” the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest report.
The storm’s maximum sustained winds were blowing at 150 miles (241 kilometers) per hour, the report said.
Hurricane Erin was located about 160 miles (257 kilometers) northwest of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the US and British Virgin Islands. AFP
Tropical storm watches were in effect for St Martin, St Barthelemy, Sint Maarten and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
“Erin is now a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane,” the NHC announced earlier Saturday, denoting highly dangerous storms with sustained wind speeds above 157 mph.
The storm reached the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale just over 24 hours after becoming a Category 1 hurricane, a rapid intensification that scientists say has become more common due to global warming.
The storm could drench the islands with as much as six inches (15 centimeters) of rain in isolated areas, the NHC said. AFP
