Erin has strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane as the storm continued on a path over the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters said. Early Friday, it became the first hurricane to develop in the Atlantic this year, and it was expected to continue gaining strength, potentially growing into a major hurricane.

Forecasters with the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami have been urging people in the Caribbean islands to monitor Erin's progress, warning of the potential for heavy rainfall and life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Erin is not currently forecast to impact the United States, but meteorologists continue to watch it closely.

The center of Erin was forecast to move just north of the northern Leewards, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the weekend, the hurricane ce

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