Powerful Hurricane Erin Intensifies, Threatens Southeast Bahamas

As of August 19th, 2025, Hurricane Erin has re-intensified to a powerful Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. The hurricane had previously reached an exceedingly dangerous Category 5 status on Saturday, with winds up to 160 mph, before weakening.

Erin is currently located about 105 miles north-northeast of Grand Turk Island and 915 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The storm is moving northwest at 13 mph and is expected to remain a large, major hurricane through the middle of the week.

Hurricane-force winds extend up to 60 miles from Erin's center, while tropical-storm-force winds reach outward up to 230 miles. This expansive wind field means the storm will impact coastal areas even if it doesn't make a direct landfall.

Erin's outer bands have already pelted parts of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands with heavy rains and tropical-storm-force winds, knocking out power to around 147,000 customers. Rough ocean conditions and life-threatening surf and rip currents are forecast for the Bahamas, Bermuda, the U.S. East Coast, and Canada's Atlantic coast as Erin turns north and then northeast.

Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of Atlantic hurricanes to climate change, with global warming causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapor and spiking ocean temperatures, which provide fuel for stronger storms.