San Juan,(Puerto Rico),August 17(HS):

Hurricane Erin has undergone explosive intensification, transforming into a rare Category Five behemoth with sustained winds roaring at 160 mph (260 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm, the first major system of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, rocketed from tropical storm strength on Friday to one of the most dangerous classifications within just 24 hours.

NHC Director Mike Brennan described Erin as “extremely powerful” and warned that it had “explosively deepened and intensified” overnight, a textbook case of rapid intensification that scientists say is becoming increasingly common in a warming climate.

Currently churning in the Caribbean, Erin is expected to skirt just north of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico this weekend. Forecasters warn of torrential rainfall up to six inches (15cm), raising the risk of flash flooding and mudslides across already waterlogged terrain.

While no immediate U.S. mainland landfall is forecast, the storm’s massive wind field will unleash life-threatening surf and rip currents along nearly the entire East Coast next week. Forecasters say Florida and the mid-Atlantic states will face the most volatile seas, while Bermuda braces for battering surf and heavy downpours.

Ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands and six Puerto Rican municipalities, including San Juan, are already under Coast Guard restrictions as gale-force winds approach.

The 2025 hurricane season has been predicted by NOAA to be “above normal,” with climate models warning that the most intense hurricanes — Categories Four and Five — are on the rise in frequency as ocean waters warm.

For now, all eyes remain locked on Erin, a storm that has gone from a tropical whisper to a Category Five roar in record time — and is still strengthening as it turns north.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar