Hurricane Erin strengthened; Flash -flood, landslide warnings issued - which areas will be affected?

Hurricane Erin quickly strengthened and reached a ‘catastrophic’ category 5 level while heavy rain swept across parts of the Caribbean. Weather authorities have warned against possible flash floods and landslides. Erin is the first hurricane of what is predicted to be a particularly active Atlantic season. Although the storm is not expected to fall, it is predicted to bring strong winds and heavy rain to various islands. According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Erin’s maximum sustained winds rose to 255 kilometers per hour. The storm was last about 215 kilometers northwest of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, a region that includes both American and British Virgin Islands. The US National Weather Service said a warning of flood flow for Saint Thomas and Saint John was issued in the US Virgin Islands, while Erin’s outer rain ties moved across the entire area. Tropical storm watches are also in place for St Martin, St Barthelemy, Saint Maarten and the Turks and Caicos Islands. “Erin is now a catastrophic category 5 hurricane,” the NHC told the AFP news agency. Category 5 is the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which is an indication of extremely dangerous storms with sustained winds over 157 km / h. The storm increased rapidly and Category 5 reached just more than a day after it first became a Category 1 hurricane. Experts believe that such rapid intensification happens more frequently as a result of global warming. Over the weekend, the Center of Erin is expected to move just north of the northern Leeward Islands, Virgins and Puerto Rico. It is predicted that it will go east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas on Sunday night before weakening. The NHC said the storm could bring up to 15 inches of rain in isolated areas to six inches. It also warned against “locally substantial flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides.” Where will the hurricane Erin hit? The swell of Hurricane Erin will affect the Northern Leeward Islands, the Virgins, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands this weekend. According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), these swells will reach the Bahamas, Bermuda and the US East Coast early next week, creating “life -threatening surfing and tearing streams”. The hurricane is expected to turn North West on Saturday night before moving north early next week. It is likely to start weakening from Monday. Meteorologists remain confident that Erin will remain well abroad of the US, but they have warned that it could still cause dangerous waves and coastal erosion, especially in North Carolina. The Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts from June to the end of November, is expected to be more active than usual, forecasters said.