It quickly powered up from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said.

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.

Forecast models show a possible Caribbean tropical storm or hurricane next week, but here's why predictions this far out are uncertain.

A Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda will now head to Florida in order to avoid Tropical Storm Erin.

Erin was expected to strengthen into a hurricane on Friday and forecast to become a major Category 3 storm late this weekend.

Tropical Storm Erin on Wednesday continued to push west through the Atlantic with it forecast to become the season’s first hurricane, growing to major hurricane strength by the weekend,