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2w ago

Tropical Storm Erin Poised to Become Hurricane Friday

Forecasters expect a weekend window of rapid intensification to generate life-threatening surf off Caribbean islands, with swells propagating toward the U.S. Atlantic coast.

This weather satellite photo of the Gulf of Mexico taken Thursday is superimposed with lightning data and a label to indicate where the most intense thunderstorms were occurring with Invest 98L. The National Hurricane Center expects the tropical system to spend 24 to 48 hours over the western Gulf of Mexico, likely coming ashore in northern Mexico or South Texas by Saturday.
© NOAA/NESDIS/STAR
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Overview

  • Erin is centered about 990 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, moving west at 17 mph with sustained winds of 50–60 mph.
  • The National Hurricane Center projects Erin will reach hurricane strength by Friday and could undergo rapid intensification to major-hurricane status over the weekend.
  • Swells from Erin are forecast to produce high surf, dangerous rip currents and coastal erosion across the northern Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and parts of the U.S. Atlantic seaboard.
  • Hurricane Hunters are scheduled to fly reconnaissance into Erin on Friday to collect data on its structure and intensity ahead of its expected strengthening.
  • The NHC is also monitoring Invest 98L in the Bay of Campeche, which has a low chance of development but may bring locally heavy rain and flooding to northeastern Mexico and southern Texas by late Friday.