The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has named the fifth storm of the season, Tropical Storm Erin.

Forecasters predict Erin will strengthen into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season by Wednesday and could reach major Category 3 status by the weekend.

Models indicate Erin will track through the ocean between Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast from Tuesday to Thursday next week (August 19-21). With over a week until its potential impact, both Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast are closely monitoring the system, as any shift east or west could result in significant effects. For now, Erin does not pose a direct threat to the U.S.

On average, the fifth named storm appears on August 22, so we're 11 days ahead of schedule on that front. However, the first hurricane of the season generally form

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