After briefly weakening, Hurricane Erin has re-intensified into a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Erin initially reached Category 5 status over the weekend, with peak winds of 160 mph and a central pressure around 915 mb, before weakening slightly due to an eyewall replacement cycle. Meteorologists now say the storm has completed that cycle and is intensifying again.
As of Monday, Erin was located several hundred miles east of Grand Turk Island and north of Puerto Rico, moving northwest. Forecast models suggest the hurricane will track between the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Bermuda later this week, potentially avoiding a direct landfall in the continental U.S.
Still, the impacts are already being felt. Heavy rainfall and tropical-storm-force winds affected parts of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Leeward Islands over the weekend, with some locations, like Cayey, Puerto Rico, reporting more than six inches of rain.
Tropical storm watches have been issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands and parts of the southeastern Bahamas. Authorities warn that even if the storm remains offshore, life-threatening surf, rip currents, and coastal flooding are likely along the East Coast, Bermuda, and parts of Atlantic Canada over the coming days.
In North Carolina, Dare County has declared a state of emergency and issued mandatory evacuation orders for Hatteras Island in anticipation of hazardous conditions later this week.
Air and marine travel across the region is also being affected, with ferry service disruptions and cruise ships rerouting to avoid the storm.
The National Hurricane Center is urging residents along the East Coast to monitor updates closely and to prepare for changing conditions, even in areas not directly in the storm’s path.
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