Hurricane Erin strengthens again as it approaches the Bahamas

The first hurricane of the season over the North Atlantic strengthened Saturday to a maximum Category 5 strength, described as "catastrophic" by the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), before wind speeds decreased and it was downgraded to Category 3. But Sunday evening around 11 p.m., the NHC wrote that Erin had "re-strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane," warning of "life-threatening waves and currents on the East Coast."

It was located about 205 kilometers from Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands, with winds measured at a maximum of 215 km/h. "The eye of Erin is expected to pass to the east and northeast" of this archipelago, and to the "southeast of the Bahamas during the night of Sunday into Monday," the NHC warned in its latest bulletin.

Winds at 255 km/h

Earlier Saturday, winds had reached 255 km/h. "Fluctuations in intensity are expected in the coming days due to changes in the internal structure of the system. Erin is becoming a larger system," explained the NHC, a hurricane organization based in Miami which, like other US weather services, has suffered budget cuts.

Hurricane Erin reached the peak level of the Saffir-Simpson scale just over 24 hours after being classified as a Category 1 storm—a rapid intensification that scientists increasingly link to global warming. It could dump up to 200 millimeters of rain on some isolated areas, according to the NHC, warning of “significant flooding, as well as landslides or mudslides.” In Puerto Rico, a population of more than 3.2 million, “nearly 155,000 customers are without power,” the local power company Luma reported on X.