Hurricane Erin Strengthens to Category 5

Erin rapidly intensified into a major Category 5 hurricane Saturday morning with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. After departing the Caribbean, Erin will set its sights on the East Coast of the United States, with the severity of impacts dependent on its track.

How long Erin tracks west before turning to the north will determine how close it comes to the East Coast and Bermuda as well as how widespread the impacts may be next week.

A powerful offshore hurricane can produce massive and dangerous waves well away from its center.

At this time, AccuWeather's team of expert meteorologists expects the most likely path of Erin to keep the dangerous eye of the hurricane east of the United States.

However, Erin is forecast to grow in size and strength. Its field of influence may become extensive, with tropical storm conditions possibly extending outward from the center by 100 miles or more.

Protruding coastal areas—such as North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Long Island, New York, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts—face a higher risk of direct and potentially severe tropical storm or hurricane conditions than much of the southern Atlantic, mid-Atlantic and northern New England coasts.

Proximity to the U.S. East Coast will determine the severity of impacts from Florida to Massachusetts and, later, for Atlantic Canada. Even if Erin's center stays east of North Carolina, storm surge of several feet combined with wave action could inundate access roads and force closures. Among the roads that could be inundated or subject to overwash would be portions of NC 12 on the Outer Banks.

Some of the most certain impacts from this hurricane will be dangerous surf, beach erosion, coastal flooding and frequent, strong rip currents along the U.S. East Coast, as well as coastal areas of Bermuda and Atlantic Canada.

Offshore wave heights may exceed 50 feet at the height of the storm. Waves of this magnitude can be perilous for large freighters and cruise ships and extremely dangerous for small craft.

These massive waves will propagate outward from the center as large swells, reaching coastal areas in the form of powerful breakers. Much of the U.S. East Coast can expect breakers of 5-10 feet in the surf zone. However, in areas of land that extend farther east—such as the Outer Banks, eastern Long Island and Cape Cod—breakers of 10-15 feet are likely.

In Bermuda, waves buffeting the islands may reach 15-25 feet, depending on the proximity of Erin.

Wind gusts across the islands are forecast to generally range from 40–60 mph, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 100 mph expected in the most extreme locations.

A general 2-4 inches is forecast, but lower wind and rain amounts could occur if Erin's track is more than 100 miles to the west.