After exploding in strength at a historic rate this weekend, Hurricane Erin is now a sprawling Category 4 storm churning in the Atlantic. The storm’s enormous footprint is becoming the biggest concern as it threatens to drive life-threatening rip currents and towering waves toward the eastern US coastline and Bermuda.

The storm will remain a major hurricane through the middle of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Erin pelted parts of the Caribbean and was forecast to create dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast this week.

Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies. Hurricane Erick, a Pacific storm that made landfall June 19 in Oaxaca, Mexico, also strengthened rapidly, doubling in intensity in less than a day.

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 became the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season on Friday, with sustained winds of 75 mph as it moves toward the Leeward Islands.

Tropical Storm Erin is likely to become Hurricane Erin shortly. It's now tracking over ocean water that's in the low 80s, and the dry and dusty air that has had a stranglehold on the circulation is dissipating.