Powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone a period of astonishingly rapid intensification — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It is now a rare Category 5, churning through the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean.

The hurricane center is tracking two other disturbances. The first is around 200 miles off the coast of North Carolina, which has a low chance of formation, 10%, over the next sev

A tropical storm watch remains in effect for St. Martin, St. Barthélemy and Sint Maarten, but the storm should largely spare the Lesser Antilles. Puerto Rico could see rain showers and blustery winds,

Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said. While the compact hurricane's center wasn't expected to strike land,

Erin is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year, and meteorologists are closely tracking its path and forecast.

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 hurricane Sunday as its outer bands continued to lash the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with heavy rains and tropical-storm force winds. While Erin’s maximum winds diminished,

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 hurricane overnight but still remains a formidable major storm.Erin had max sustained winds of 125 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in a 2 p.m. ET update on Sunday.

Erin, which quickly strengthened into a Category 5 storm on Saturday, is not expected to make landfall in the U.S., but experts remain on alert.