Hurricane Erin, the first major hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, rapidly intensified Friday night, with the storm now reaching Category 5 strength with sustained winds of 160 mph.

Hurricane Erin has weakened slightly overnight but remains a very strong storm with winds well over 120 mph, making it still a major hurricane. The track remains mostly unchanged. It will start making that northern turn in the next 24 hours.

Hurricane Erin weakened slightly on Sunday during an eyewall replacement cycle but will grow larger and stir up surf along the U.S. east coast.

The National Hurricane Center is tracking a disturbance in the Gulf near Mexico while watching the path of Tropical Storm Erin.

Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, is on track to rapidly intensify over the weekend and hit Category 4 strength next week in the open ocean. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for Erin to cruise west for the next few days — staying comfortably north of inhabited islands — before hooking north early next week and avoiding direct landfall in the Bahamas or Florida.

Hurricane season spans from June 1 to November 30. Here’s what you should know before Erin or any future storm approaches land.