ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane Erin is rapidly intensifying, reaching Category 5 status as of 11 a.m. Saturday.
The National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory states the storm now sports maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and is moving west at 17 mph with a minimum central pressure of 917 MB.
A shift toward the north is anticipated early next week.
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Hurricane Erin was a Category 4 storm as of the NHC’s prior update at 8 a.m. Saturday, with 145 mph maximum sustained winds at the time.
[VIDEO BELOW: Hurricane Erin becomes Category 4]
According to the forecast, Erin’s center is expected to pass just north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico this weekend.
The outer bands of the storm will bring heavy rainfall to these areas through Sunday, with totals of 2 to 4 inches possible and isolated amounts reaching 6 inches. Flash and urban flooding, as well as landslides or mudslides, may occur in these regions.