Atlantic Ocean’s Hurricane Diminishes to Category 4

(MENAFN) Hurricane Erin has downgraded to a Category 4 storm after surging rapidly to Category 5 intensity earlier on Saturday over the Atlantic Ocean, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The agency reported that Erin’s strength increased at an exceptional pace, climbing from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane in just over a single day—marking it as one of the swiftest-intensifying storms ever documented in the Atlantic basin and potentially the fastest to reach such a magnitude before the month of September.

In its latest update, the NHC stated, “On the forecast track, the center of Erin is expected to move just north of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico through Sunday and pass to the east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas Sunday night and Monday.”

The agency further noted that the hurricane’s strength may shift over the coming days, potentially experiencing fluctuations in intensity.

Despite its powerful status, Erin is not forecasted to directly strike land. Instead, it is projected to pass north of Puerto Rico and veer north-northeast into the open Atlantic Ocean, remaining between the US East Coast and Bermuda later this week.

Officials from the NHC have also cautioned that the storm will trigger hazardous ocean conditions.

These include strong surf and rip currents that may impact coastal areas of the Bahamas, much of the US Eastern Seaboard, and parts of Atlantic Canada.

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