Tropical Storm Erin is forecast to become a hurricane on Friday as it continues to move west over the central tropical Atlantic with a chance of ultimately affecting the U.S. East Coast, the Bahamas and Bermuda next week,

Tropical Storm Erin is on the cusp of strengthening into a hurricane and is now forecast to hit Category 4 in a few days in the open ocean. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for Erin to cruise west for the next few days - staying comfortably north of inhabited islands - before hooking north early next week and avoiding direct landfall in the Bahamas or Florida.