Erin rapidly strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane over the Atlantic Ocean Saturday before weakening slightly to a Category 4 status, but remained a powerful storm while it underwent a process known as an "eyewall replacement cycle," the National Hurricane Center said.

The Miami-based center said hurricane hunters found Erin had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph and its outer bands were impacting the northern Leeward Islands. A Category 4 hurricane is defined as having maximum sustained winds of 130 mph or higher.

"Some fluctuations in intensity are expected over the next couple of days due to inner-core structural changes," the hurricane center said.

As of 8 p.m. Saturday, the hurricane was located about 160 miles northwest of Anguilla, moving west at 15 mph. The storm's cent

See Full Page