Hurricane Erin became the first hurricane of the season Friday morning, and is expected to develop into a major Category 3 storm this weekend then intensify further as it passes to the north of Puerto Rico in the Atlantic, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of the NHC’s 2 p.m. Eastern time advisory, the center of Erin was located about 415 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands moving west-northwest at 17 mph with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane.

“This motion is expected to continue into the weekend. On the forecast track, the center of Erin is likely to move near or just north of the northern Leeward Islands over the weekend,” said NHC senior hurricane specialist Jack Beven. “Steady to rapid strengthening is expected during the next tw

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