Hurricane Erin Downgraded to Category 3
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Hurricane Erin will not be making landfall in the southeastern U.S., according to the National Weather Service's briefing at 5 a.m., Aug. 17. The storm "will pass well offshore through the coming week," wrote the NWS.
NOAA and Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft found that Erin is in the middle of an eyewall replacement cycle (ERC). While it is in the stage of an eyewall replacement cycle, Erin has lost a bit of its punch and has been downgraded to a category 3.
Hurricane Erin is forecast to remain well offshore but still bring hazardous currents and possible erosion like previous offshore hurricanes before it.
Erin, which quickly strengthened into a Category 5 storm on Saturday, is not expected to make landfall in the U.S., but experts remain on alert.
A video recorded by Hurricane Hunters captures the awe-inspiring stadium effect of Hurricane Erin, highlighting the calm eye amid chaos.
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The Weather Channel on MSNErin Remains A Rare Category 5 Hurricane; Outer Rain Bands Impacting Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
Hurricane Erin is remaining a rare Category 5 hurricane as it passes north of the Northern Leeward Islands. Erin is expected to continue to bring rain, gusty winds and high surf to parts of the Caribbean this weekend before pivoting northward and passing between Bermuda and the U.
In the Gulf, Invest 98L could become a short-lived tropical depression before it moves inland over northeastern Mexico or southern Texas this afternoon or evening. Here's the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center as of 11 a.m., Aug. 15:
As of Wednesday afternoon, Tropical Storm Erin is churning in the Atlantic Ocean and moving toward the Caribbean, likely to become the season’s first hurricane, a storm with sustained winds above 74 miles per hour.