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.

Hurricane Erin is now a Category 5 storm as it rapidly intensified and threatens the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico, then will move along the U.S. East Coast

Hurricane Erin forced tourists to cut their vacations short on North Carolina’s Outer Banks even though the monster storm is expected to stay offshore after lashing part of the Caribbean with rain and wind on Monday.

Hurricane Erin has been downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane but is gaining in size and raising the risk of life-threatening surf later this week along the U.S.

Tracking Hurricane Erin, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which weakened to a Category 3 storm early Sunday.

Hurricane Erin strengthened 85 mph in 24 hours to a 160 mph Category 5 hurricane putting in fourth place for rapidly intensifying storms.

Hurricane Erin chugged slowly toward the eastern U.S. Tuesday, stirring up treacherous waves that already have led to dozens of water rescues and shut down beaches along the coast in the midst of summer’s last hurrah.

Erin is expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip currents to the Atlantic coast from Florida to Canada. Erin became the Atlantic season's first hurricane as expected late Aug. 15, then exploded into a Category 5 storm Aug.