Erin strengthens to a Category 5 hurricane, NHC says

BENGALURU: Hurricane Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, has become a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane, the US National Hurricane Center said on Saturday.

The storm is currently 105 miles (170 km) north of Anguilla, with maximum sustained winds near 160 mph (255 km/h). The NHC said on Friday that Erin is expected to strengthen over the southwestern Atlantic through the weekend and into next week.

Swells generated by Erin will affect portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and the Turks and Caicos Islands through the weekend, the NHC said earlier on Saturday.

The swells will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the East Coast of the United States early next week, it said.