Hurricane Erin, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, is expected to bring “life-threatening surf and rip currents” along the United States' East Coast this week, the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned early on Aug. 18.
The storm initially reached Category 5 strength on Aug. 16 but weakened to Category 3 early on Aug. 17. It then regained Category 4 intensity that night while moving north of the Caribbean, according to a report by CBS News.
As of 5 a.m. EDT (2.30 p.m. IST) on Aug. 18, Erin was generating maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (around 209 kmph). Its centre was located roughly 105 miles (around 167 km) north-northeast of Grand Turk Island and about 915 miles (around 1,473 km) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. A Category 4 hurricane has sustained winds of 130 mph to 156 mph (around 251 kmph) and is considered a major storm, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
While Erin is projected to remain powerful over the next several days, CBS News noted that the storm is “not expected to impact the East Coast directly.” The NOAA stated, “Life-threatening surf and rip currents likely across the US Eastern Seaboard this week.”
Hurricane #Erin Advisory 28A: Large and Powerful Hurricane Erin Located Just East of The Southeast Bahamas. Life-Threatening Surf and Rip Currents Likely Across the U. S. Eastern Seaboard This Week. https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb
August 18, 2025Heavy Rainfall And Flood Risks
The NOAA has warned of bands of heavy rainfall over parts of Hispaniola on Aug. 18, extending through Aug. 19 for the Turks and Caicos Islands and portions of the southeast and central Bahamas. Flash and urban flooding are possible, with tropical storm conditions expected in the Turks and Caicos and southeast Bahamas, while the central Bahamas could experience similar conditions later, NOAA said.
“Erin is expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents along the beaches of the Bahamas, much of the east coast of the US, Bermuda and Atlantic Canada during the next several days,” NOAA said.
Tracking Erin's Path
Current maps show the hurricane curving northward, with its centre moving just north of the northern Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico, reported CBS News.
Erin initially formed as a tropical storm on Aug. 18 west of Cabo Verde, off Africa's western coast. It is the fifth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June through November. So far this year, Tropical Storm Chantal is the only storm to have made landfall in the US, causing deadly flooding in North Carolina in early July. Tropical Storm Barry made landfall on Mexico's eastern coast in June as a tropical depression, the CBS News report added.
The hurricane's intensification comes as the Atlantic hurricane season approaches its peak, which usually occurs between mid-August and mid-October. In the eastern Pacific Ocean, hurricane season begins on May 15, with activity peaking in late August, according to the NOAA.
*If the live map is not visible, then click on the link here or here to check the live location of Storm Erin. Live tracking is provided by Windy and Zoom Earth.
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