The National Hurricane Center updated Erin from a Cat 3 at 5 AM, then to a Cat 4 by 6 AM. The center of Erin is forecast to move just north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the weekend.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hurricane Erin was upgraded to a Category 5 as of Saturday’s 11 a.m. advisory. Hurricane hunters were flying in and around the storm all morning Saturday. They found a rapid rate of intensification in the storm, which now has winds of 160 mph.

Hurricane Erin, now a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 160-mph, is expected to continue strengthening.

Hurricane Erin’s intensification was extraordinary, with an 85 mph jump in just 24 hours. That makes it one of the fastest Category 1 to Category 5 transitions ever recorded in the Atlantic. It even slightly surpassed Hurricane Lee’s 2023 leap of about 80 mph in 24 hours, placing Erin in rare company.

The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories.

The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories.

5 p.m. Update: Erin is now organizing and strengthening over the Central Atlantic. Erin is expected to become at least a Catgory 3 hurricane but missing Puerto Rico to the north and staying well east of Florida. It is expected to reach Jacksonville’s latitude about early Wednesday, resulting in some rough seas and surf at area beaches next week.