Erin Becomes First Hurricane of the Atlantic Hurricane Season
Aug 17, 2025 | by Valenciana Pro-Munoz, Colearn Chronicle Reporting Journalist
Erin Becomes First Hurricane of the Atlantic Hurricane Season.
The former tropical storm is now Hurricane Erin which formed on August 15, making it the first hurricane of 2025 and became a major hurricane this week.
Hurricane Erin officially became a hurricane in the morning of 8/15 at about 11:00 a.m. At the time it was located near the northern Leeward islands, moving WNW at around 17 mph.
Hurricane Erin is generating rough surf conditions and rip currents for the Atlantic basin, as well as tropical storm force winds in Puerto Rico and the Leeward islands, where tropical storm watches went into effect on August 15 for the islands including Anguilla, Barbuda, Saint Martin, and Saba.
Hurricane Erin was announced a category 4 hurricane with winds up to 130mph, though Erin rapidly strengthened into a category 5 and at the time of this writing, Erin is a dangerous category 4 hurricane.
Thankfully, it is not expected to hit the U.S or to hit land, but islands nearby saw high winds over the weekend, with Puerto Rico, the Leeward Islands, and the Virgin Islands experiencing strong winds and heavy rain. Additionally, the Bahamas were on a tropical watch.
With the storm bringing heavy rain to the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin islands. FEMA was actively supporting Puerto Rico as Erin approached the island by deploying over 200 people and prepared emergency supplies like generators to quickly respond to power outages. Working with local officials, FEMA inspected about 367 shelters and helped close six seaports to reduce risk. and a flood watch was in effect all over the island from late Friday till Monday with forecasts of heavy rain and possible landslides prompting FEMA and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to prepare for infrastructure flood mitigation. Their efforts helped to safeguard communities and ensure rapid recovery once the storm passed. When it comes to approaching hurricanes, it is best to stay alert and safe.