TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — As of 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Hurricane Erin remains a Category 3 storm, the National Hurricane Center said. That’s down from the Category 5 Erin rapidly intensified to on Saturday.
The NHC said more fluctuations are expected over the next day or two.
Erin is now around 235 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico and around 200 miles from Turks and Caicos.
It has also slowed down some since yesterday, now moving west-northwest at around 13 mph. NHC forecasts it will slow even more Sunday before gradually turning north Monday and Tuesday.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for Turks and Caicos and the southeast Bahamas, and stormy conditions are expected within the next 24 hours as Erin passes by.
With maximum wind speeds back down to 125 mph, Erin remains a Category 3 storm, but is expected to strengthen again in the next few days. NHC said the storm is getting bigger, with hurricane-force winds extending 25 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds extending up to 205 miles.
More heavy rainfall is expected for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, potentially totaling up to six inches in some areas. Local flash flooding, as well as landslides or mudslides, are possible.
With maximum wind speeds back down to 125 mph, Erin is once again a Category 3 storm, but continued changes in intensity are expected. NHC said the storm is getting bigger, with hurricane-force winds extending 25 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds extending up to 205 miles.
Swells from the storm are affecting portions of the Caribbean where Erin is passing by and will likely spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda, the East Coast of the U.S. and Atlantic Canada through the beginning of the week, NHC said. Rough ocean conditions are likely to cause life-threatening rip currents along the Atlantic Coast beaches.
NHC has also identified another tropical wave coming off the coast of Africa. As of now, it’s just an area of disorganized storms, but a more structured area of low pressure could form over the central Atlantic during the middle to latter part of next week. The chances of formation over the next seven days are low, at around 30%, and the NHC gives it a zero chance of formation through the next 48 hours.