The storm is not currently forecast to hit land, but its strong winds are impacting nearby islands, prompting warnings of possible flooding and landslides.

Hurricane Erin was downgraded to Category 3 early morning on Sunday, Aug. 17, per the National Hurricane Center. However, the tropical storm is still expected to bring 'life-threatening' conditions to the beaches along much of the east coast of the U.

Erin is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year, and meteorologists are closely tracking its path and forecast.

Tropical Storm Erin's path puts some homeowners at heightened risk, as the storm starts building into a hurricane tracked by meteorologists.

Despite this, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says Erin is growing in size, with tropical-storm-strength winds extending 205 miles from its centre. Storm-related hazards, including flash flooding and landslides, are expected in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Behind these storms, much cooler air arrives, and we begin the week with highs only in the mid-70s. It will be cloudy with scattered showers on Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday, some sun returns with isolated thunderstorms and highs near 80.

Hurricane Erin has been downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands as winds and heavy rains continue to lash the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone a period of astonishingly rapid intensification — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It was a rare Category 5 for a time Saturday before becoming a Category 4,

Hurricane Erin strengthened into a fearsome Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 160 mph for much of the day on Aug. 16 as it traveled west just north of the Virgin Islands, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies. Hurricane Erick, a Pacific storm that made landfall June 19 in Oaxaca, Mexico, also strengthened rapidly, doubling in intensity in less than a day.

While Erin is expected to take a northward turn in the Atlantic, a new system off the coast of Africa has the National Hurricane Center's attention.