Erin becomes the highest-power category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean

Published at: 16/08/2025 09:25 PM

The first hurricane of this year's Atlantic season moved to category 5, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale, as it moves toward the Caribbean, where it could cause flash floods and landslides, reports the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Members of the meteorological institution reported that by 1:00 in the afternoon the storm's maximum sustained winds had increased to 255 kilometers per hour. Erin is the fifth named tropical cyclone to form in the Atlantic this year.

The storm continued its advance toward the Lesser Antilles, a region that includes the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Since Saturday morning, it became a “major hurricane”, of category 3 or higher, it strengthened throughout the day, moving first to category 4 and then to 5.

Erin can flood the islands with up to 15 centimeters of heavy rain in isolated areas. The NHC warned of possible “flash and urban floods of local magnitude, together with landslides or mudslides”.

Mazo News Team