Topline
Tropical Storm Erin is expected to become the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday, as the storm slowly approaches the warmer waters of the Caribbean.
Forecasters are now predicting Erin will become a hurricane by late Thursday night or early Friday morning—a day earlier than previously expected as the storm moves west of progressively warmer waters, the NHC said.
Erin will begin moving west-northwest in the next few days, forecasters predicted, at a slightly slower pace.
The storm is currently sustaining wind speeds of 45 miles per hour, which are expected to strengthen in the next few days (wind speeds are considered hurricane force after they exceed 74 miles per hour).
Erin could potentially strengthen to sustain wind speeds of over 115 miles per hour in the next four days, making it a Category Three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale and the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season.
Forecasters currently believe Erin could move close to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend, as well as the northern Leeward Islands, which include Anguilla and Saint Martin. These islands will likely see life-threatening rip currents. The region could see tropical storm force winds as early as 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, according to the most recent projections. Erin is then expected to move west-northwest, but forecasters are currently unsure how it could impact the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the East Coast of the U.S. as it advances next week. No watches or warnings have been issued as of Wednesday morning.
Erin formed from a cluster of storms off the west coast of Africa on Monday that slowly advanced westward over Cabo Verde. The storms brought destructive heavy rainfall and flash floods to the nation’s Sao Vicente island. At least eight people were killed in the floods, Reuters reported, while another independent report issued by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies issued on Monday said at least nine people were killed, another 20,000 injured, and 1,500 displaced. The National Hurricane Center declared the cluster a tropical storm the same day as it moved west of the islands.
13-18. That’s how many named storms the National Hurricane Center is currently predicting the Atlantic will see during the 2025 season. Forecasters are predicting this will include 5-9 hurricanes, and 2-5 major hurricanes—sustaining wind speeds above 111 miles per hour. So far, the Atlantic has seen five named tropical storms, including Erin.