NOAA's GOES-19 satellite captured images of Hurricane Erin as it developed in the Atlantic and then rapidly strengthened into a Category 5 storm.

Hurricane Erin remains a powerful Category 5 major hurricane Saturday evening as it moves just north of northern Lesser Antilles. The 5 pm advisory from the National Hurricane Center now has Erin with winds of 160 mph,

Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies. Hurricane Erick, a Pacific storm that made landfall June 19 in Oaxaca, Mexico, also strengthened rapidly, doubling in intensity in less than a day.

Meteorologists are closely tracking the projected path and forecast of Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year.

Notice the historical line that the storm has made a significant turn from heading west to almost directly north

Hurricane Erin formed early Friday, Aug. 15, marking the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season before exploding over the weekend.

NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters captured the dramatic moment their plane flew into the eye of Hurricane Erin, as the storm grew to a Category 5 on Saturday.