Hurricane Erin, the first hurricane (and major hurricane) of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, underwent explosive intensification Friday evening into this morning, and is now a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph north of the Leeward Islands. Erin is the first Category 5 hurricane in the North Atlantic during August since Hurricane Dean in 2007. The Atlantic basin has had at least one Category 5 hurricane form for four straight years.

As of 11:20 a.m. EDT Saturday, Hurricane Erin was centered near 19.7°N 62.8°W, and was moving westward at approximately 17 mph. Maximum sustained winds were 140 knots (160 mph), with an estimated minimum pressure of 917 mb. This makes Erin a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Erin’s pressure has plunged from 996 mb to 917 mb in just 24 hours, an incredible rate of deepening. Erin is expected to turn to the northwest tonight and undergo a smooth recurve track, turning northeastward by the middle of next week. Fortunately, it appears that Erin will most likely track between the United States and Bermuda, though Erin is expected to become a very large hurricane and will bring rough surf to the United States east coast and Bermuda. Eyewall replacement cycles will likely lead to fluctuations in intensity, though Erin will remain a powerful hurricane for several days. The SHIPS model shows a slight increase in shear in a couple days, which will likely lead to gradual weakening by early next week as the hurricane recurves. By the end of next week, Erin will likely undergo extratropical transition over the far North Atlantic, though it is still possible the outer bands of the storm could brush Atlantic Canada.