Hurricane Erin 2025 weakens but powerful storm ‘could double or even triple in size’: What we know so far

Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, was downgraded to Category 3 hurricane on Sunday — “undergone astonishingly rapid changes.”

However, forecasters warned of a growing risk of life-threatening surf and rip currents along the US Eastern seaboard during the week from what is expected to become a very large hurricane, the Associated Press reported.

The storm is expected to continue to fluctuate in intensity and could double or even triple in size as it moves north and west, causing rough ocean conditions across much of the western Atlantic, the Hurricane Center was quoted by CNN as saying.

While Erin’s maximum winds diminished Sunday, its overall size kept growing as forecasters issued tropical storm warnings for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeast Bahamas. 

Hurricane Erin’s outer bands: Areas affected

The hurricane’s outer bands pelted parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rains and tropical-storm winds during the day.

The storm wasn’t expected to directly hit the US East Coast, but by doubling or tripling in size, its impacts threatened the North Carolina Outer Banks, the thin, low stretch of barrier islands off the mainland, that juts far out into the Atlantic, Dare County emergency officials said in declaring a state of emergency.

They ordered an evacuation of Hatteras Island starting Monday. Several days of heavy surf and high winds and waves could wash out parts of North Carolina Highway 12 running along the barrier islands that are a popular vacation destination, the National Weather Service said.

‘Fastest-growing Atlantic hurricanes on record’

Hurricane Erin, the powerful storm is said to have undergone astonishingly rapid changes. It quickly became a rare Category 5 for a time on Saturday, before weakening and becoming a larger system on Sunday as it churns through the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean.

As per CNN, Erin went from a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds at 11 am Friday to a Category 5 with near 160 mph winds just over 24 hours later. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were 125 mph (205 kph) Sunday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

It put Erin in the history books as one of the fastest-strengthening Atlantic hurricanes on record, and potentially the fastest intensification rate for any storm earlier than September 1.

The winds decreased as the storm went through internal changes. 

What’s happening now?

Erin is expected to remain powerful for the next several days and is expected to strengthen somewhat over the next 48 hours as it grows, forecasters said Sunday afternoon.

The center of the storm is forecast to stay at least 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the Outer Banks but will also bring rip tides all along the East Coast, officials said.

Bermuda could have similar conditions as Erin is forecast to turn to the north and then northeast, forecasters said.

“You’re dealing with a major hurricane. The intensity is fluctuating. It’s a dangerous hurricane in any event,” said Richard Pasch of the National Hurricane Center.

‘Hurricane Erin expected to double or even triple in size’

Hurricane Erin is still expected to avoid a direct hit on any land mass, passing north of Puerto Rico, then curving north-northeast into the open Atlantic between the East Coast and Bermuda. 

As it does so, it is expected to double or even triple in size.

The rain and winds from the outer bands of the storm left about 147,000 customers without power Sunday morning in Puerto Rico, according to Luma Energy, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of power on the island. The weather canceled more than 20 flights, officials said.

Swells were also expected to affect portions of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands during the next couple of days, forecasters said.

The Coast Guard allowed all ports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to reopen on Sunday as winds and rains in the area decrease.

A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, and in this case, within 24 hours, the hurricane center said. Heavy rain is still expected across the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with rainfall of 3 to 6 inches (about 7.6 to 15 centimeters), with 8 inches (20 centimeters) in some isolated areas.

Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic to climate change. Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapor and is spiking ocean temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly.

(With inputs from agencies)