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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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Satellite imagery from the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) on X captured Hurricane Erin swirling over the Atlantic Ocean on Friday as the storm became a Category 1 hurricane.
Why It Matters
As of the most recent update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Erin had maximum sustained windspeeds of 75 miles per hour, making it a Category 1 storm. It's the first hurricane to form in the Atlantic Ocean this year.
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An updated forecast map from AccuWeather shows Erin is expected to reach Category 4 strength by Monday afternoon. A Category 4 hurricane has maximum sustained windspeeds between 130 and 156 mph.
What To Know
On Friday morning, CIRA shared a satellite loop of the storm as it intensified over the ocean.
"Erin strengthens, becoming the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic Season," the post said. "This hi-res view shows several lightning flashes within an intensifying storm."
Other meteorology-based social media accounts also shared satellite images of Erin as it strengthened.
"Hurricane Erin is beginning to form an eye," meteorologist Max Velocity posted on X with a loop of the GOES-19 satellite.
Velocity added a follow-up post that said Erin's maximum windspeeds could reach up to 145 mph, which would make it a mid-grade Category 4 storm.
"Category 5 hurricane intensity is not likely, but cannot be fully ruled out," he posted.
A forecast map from the NHC shows Erin retaining major hurricane strength well into the middle of next week. Although the storm is expected to curve northward away from the United States, it could still bring dangerous impacts to the coast.
Chances have been rising this week that Erin's impacts would affect parts of the U.S. East Coast, although AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva told Newsweek this doesn't mean the storm will make landfall. Rather it will be large enough and skirt close enough to the coast that tropical rain and wind impacts are likely to be felt.
Coastal areas such as the Outer Banks; Long Island, New York; and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, are at the highest risk of direct impacts, the AccuWeather report said. Coastal North Carolina and Virginia also face a moderate risk of impacts.
What People Are Saying
NHC in a public advisory about Hurricane Erin: "Steady to rapid strengthening is expected during the next two to three days, and Erin is forecast to become a major hurricane during the weekend. NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft are scheduled to investigate Erin this evening."
The advisory added: "The outer bands of Erin are expected to produce areas of heavy rainfall tonight into Sunday across the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated totals of 6 inches, are expected. This rainfall may lead to isolated and locally considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides."
What Happens Next?
Meteorologists will continue monitoring Erin closely as it intensifies. Regular updates will be issued, and people in the path of the storm are urged to follow local weather guidance.
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