SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Erin, now a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 160-mph, is expected to continue strengthening.

Heavy rains were forecast to start late Friday in Antigua and Barbuda, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and southern and eastern Puerto Rico.

La tormenta Erin alcanzó fuerza huracán el viernes mientras avanzaba hacia el noreste del Caribe, lo que llevó a los meteorólogos a

Erin has become the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season as it heads west toward the Leeward Islands and the Caribbean. It's expected to strengthen.

The system is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Friday and could even become a major hurricane, according to experts.