Hurricane Erin

Hurricane Erin has become one of the fastest-intensifying Atlantic hurricanes on record, quickly advancing from a Category 1 storm with 75 mph winds on Friday to a Category 5 with nearly 160 mph winds in just over 24 hours. Currently, the storm's outer bands have caused substantial rainfall in Puerto Rico, leaving 100,000 residents without power, according to Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón on Sunday. Forecasts anticipate up to 6 inches of additional rainfall over the Turks and Caicos and the eastern Bahamas through Tuesday. However, as it progresses through the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean, Erin could potentially double or even triple in size, possibly leading to turbulent ocean conditions over a large part of the western Atlantic, as reported by the Hurricane Center. Although the storm is expected to stay well offshore, its vast wind field is already producing large swells that extend for hundreds of miles, creating dangerous rip currents along US coastlines.