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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Erin strengthened into a hurricane on Friday arsenic it approached the northeast Caribbean, prompting forecasters to pass of imaginable flooding and landslides.
The tempest is expected to stay implicit unfastened waters, though tropical tempest watches were issued for Anguilla and Barbuda, St. Martin and St. Barts, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten.
Heavy rains were forecast to commencement precocious Friday successful Antigua and Barbuda, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and confederate and eastbound Puerto Rico. Up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) are expected, with isolated totals of up to 6 inches (15 centimeters), according to the National Hurricane Center successful Miami.
Forecasters besides warned of unsafe swells.
The tempest was located astir 460 miles (740 kilometers) eastbound of the Northern Leeward Islands. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was moving west-northwest astatine 18 mph (30 kph).
Hurricane specializer and tempest surge adept Michael Lowry said Erin is forecast to yet instrumentality a crisp crook northeast that would enactment it connected a way betwixt the U.S. and Bermuda.
“The forecasts for adjacent week inactive support the aboriginal hurricane safely eastbound of the mainland U.S.,” helium said.
Erin, which is the Atlantic season's archetypal hurricane, is forecast to go a large Category 3 tempest precocious this weekend.
The hurricane halfway noted “there is inactive uncertainty astir what impacts Erin whitethorn bring to portions of the Bahamas, the eastbound seashore of the United States, and Bermuda successful the agelong range.”
Dangerous surf and rip currents are expected to impact the U.S. East Coast adjacent week, with waves reaching up to 15 feet (5 meters) on parts of the North Carolina seashore that could origin formation erosion, according to Accuweather.
“Erin is forecast to detonate into a almighty Category 4 hurricane arsenic it moves crossed precise lukewarm waters successful the unfastened Atlantic. Water temperatures astatine the aboveground and hundreds of feet heavy are respective degrees higher than the humanities average,” said Alex DaSilva, Accuweather’s pb hurricane expert.
Erin is the 5th named tempest of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
This year’s play is erstwhile again expected to beryllium unusually busy. The forecast calls for six to 10 hurricanes, with 3 to 5 reaching large presumption with winds of much than 110 mph (177 kph).
