Updated August 16, 2025 at 9:59 AM MDT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said.

While the compact hurricane's center wasn't expected to hit land, it threatened to dump flooding rains as it continued to grow larger.

Mike Brennen, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said Erin had swiftly grown into a "very powerful hurricane," racing from maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (160 kph) to 160 mph (257 kph) in a mere nine hours.

"We expect to see Erin peak here in intensity relatively soon," Brennan said in an online briefing.

The first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, Erin ramped up from a tropical storm to a Catego

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