Hurricane Erin, the first of the 2025 Atlantic season, strengthened into a dangerous Category 5 storm in the northeast Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly intensifying from a tropical storm in just 24 hours.

While forecasters previously predicted the hurricane would become a Category 3 by the end of the weekend, the storm had already reached Category 4 status by 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

By late Saturday morning, NHC officials said the storm’s maximum sustained winds more than doubled in a day, to 160 mph — officially hitting Category 5 intensity.

A tropical storm watch, issued when storm conditions are possible within the next 12 hours, was in effect for St. Martin (including the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten) and St. Barthélemy, two of the northernmost

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