Hurricane Erin rapidly strengthened into a Category 5 storm. It is not expected to make a direct hit on the U.S. but will create dangerous surf.

Powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone a period of astonishingly rapid intensification — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It is now a rare Category 5, churning through the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean.

According to meteorologist Sam Lillo, Erin deepened by 70 millibars in 24 hours from Friday morning to Saturday morning. This makes Erin the most rapidly intensifying hurricane, before Sept. 1, ever measured in the Atlantic Ocean.

Tropical Storm Dexter is forecast to strengthen in the north Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Erin formed Friday in the Atlantic Ocean on track to bring heavy rains that could lead to flooding and landslides in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, forecasters said.

Hurricane forecasters were tracking three disturbances in the Atlantic Ocean Sunday afternoon, one of which is expected to briefly become the season's fourth named storm as it moves away from the U.S. UPDATE: Tropical Storm Dexter forms in Atlantic as forecasters track two other disturbances

Tropical Storm Erin is expected to become the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, federal forecasters say.

The National Hurricane Center is predicting Invest 97L could become a tropical depression or tropical storm as early as later this morning, Aug. 11.