Hurricane Erin strengthened into a fearsome Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 160 mph for much of the day on Aug. 16 as it traveled west just north of the Virgin Islands, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph as its outer bands pounded the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with gusty winds and heavy rains early Sunday.

Hurricane Erin remains a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds, down from its weekend peak as a Category 5 (160 mph).

Hurricane Erin, the first major hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, rapidly intensified Friday night, with the storm now reaching Category 5 strength with sustained winds of 160 mph.

Hurricane Erin has turned into a Category 4 storm, rapidly powering up over the course of 24 hours, the National Hurricane Center said.

Erin has become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, with several areas already on alert for heavy rain while strong waves and rip currents are possible along the East Coast of the United States as early as next week.

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.

Hurricane Erin continues to rapidly intensify in the Atlantic Ocean with its outer bands starting to impact the northern Leeward Islands.

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.

Charley roared ashore near Cayo Costa, Florida, or west of Fort Myers, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 mph on the afternoon of Aug. 13, 2004. The intensification of Charley prior to landfall was a worst-case scenario since nearly eight hours earlier over the eastern Gulf, it was a Category 2 with 110 mph winds.