At 8 a.m., the center of Hurricane Erin was located near latitude 19.6°N, longitude 62.0°W. While the eye has wobbled westward during the past few hours, Erin is moving generally toward the west-northwest near 20 mph (31 km/h). This motion is expected to continue through the weekend with a gradual decrease in forward speed.

A turn toward the north is expected to occur early next week. On the forecast track, the center of Erin is expected to move just north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico over the weekend.

Reports from NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 145 mph (230 km/h) with higher gusts.

Erin is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

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