Hurricane Erin has strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane late Saturday morning with maximum sustained wind speeds of 165 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – Hurricane Erin is bringing heavy rain to the U.S. Virgin Islands on Saturday as the Category 5 storm moves through the Caribbean.  

Erin became the first major hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season on Friday, proceeding to rapidly intensify into the weekend. 

While Hurricane Erin is not expected to reach the U.S. Virgin Islands, its impacts are still being felt as the monster storm unleashes strong winds and heavy rain to the island nation. 

“Those outer bands and breezy conditions – we may even see tropical storm-force winds here in St. Thomas and areas all around here, including Puerto Rico,” said FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray, who is reporting from St. Thomas. 

HURRICANE ERIN UNDERGOES RAPID INTENSIFICATION INTO ATLANTIC’S FIRST MAJOR HURRICANE OF 2025  

Erin is also expected to significantly impact the eastern U.S. 

While the hurricane will not make landfall, it is forecast to grow four- to five-fold over the next several days, leading to more energy being put into the ocean, according to FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross. 

“Expanding Hurricane Erin will generate huge waves in the open ocean and impart energy to the water that will radiate toward the coast in the form of strong, long-period swells,” Norcross said. “This energy will create powerful waves capable of eroding beaches and extremely strong and intense ocean currents.”

Hurricane Erin may cruise past the U.S. shoreline, but the Category 4 storm will create potentially dangerous conditions along the East Coast next week. FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross breaks it all down.

He noted that these impacts will first be felt in Florida and throughout the Southeast on Tuesday and then make their way to the Northeast and New England by Thursday.