Hurricane Erin (2025)

On August 8, a tropical wave moved off of the West Coast of Africa, progressing northwestward towards the Cabo Verde Islands. As it neared the islands, deep convection began and it obtained a central closed circulation, becoming a tropical depression on August 11 southwest of Sal. Erin moved to the west after forming, landfalling on Santo Antão. Erin would progress across the Atlantic, moving westward to southwestward due to a nearby well-developed ridge to the north. From August 11 to August 13, low sea surface temperatures and dry air would prevent Erin from intensifying. On August 14, Erin's deep convection became more fleshed out in organization and coverage. Erin was able to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by 12:00 UTC on August 15. Erin subsequently underwent explosive intensification overnight and became a major hurricane early on August 16. This culminated in Erin becoming a Category 5 hurricane by 15:20 UTC that day, attaining its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of and a minimum central pressure of , about north-northwest of Anguilla. At its peak, hurricane-force winds extended up to out from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend up to out. Erin's 24-hour intensification was the greatest of any Atlantic hurricane on record based on drop in central pressure before September 1. It held this intensity for much of the day, before commencing an eyewall replacement cycle; after both the Air Force Reserve and NOAA reconnaissance missions noted the presence of concentric eyewalls at Erin's core, weakening to Category 4 intensity. Further weakening occurred overnight into the early morning hours of August 17 to a Category 3. During the replacement cycle, the eye wall diameter increased from to around . Erin also grew in size. Its hurricane-force windfield expanded to about from the center and the tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to . After completing the eyewall replacement cycle, Erin reintensified to Category 4 late that day, and reached a secondary peak with sustained winds of and a central pressure of on August 18. Late that same day, however, the system weakened again to Category 3, as it tracked to the northwest, east of the Bahamas. On the afternoon of August 19, Erin weakened to Category 2 strength, due to strong wind shear disrupting its structure, thus permitting dry air to infiltrate into the northwestern part of the circulation. However, as it moved over warm waters with abundant moisture on the morning August 20, Erin reintensified again, to a high-end Category 2 hurricane. Overnight, Erin turned toward the east-northeast. Its broad windfield was continuing to expand, with tropical storm-force winds now extending up to out from the center. At 06:00 UTC on August 21, it made its closest approach to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, passing about southeast of Cape Hatteras. It was also about west-northwest of Bermuda at that time. Later, on the morning of August 22, the hurricane weakened to Category 1 strength due to of southwesterly wind shear and significant cold air advection, and began its transition into an extratropical cyclone, as it moved northeastward over open waters midway between Bermuda and Nova Scotia. Erin completed its extratropical transition that afternoon, about south of Sable Island, Nova Scotia. ==Preparations==

Caribbean On August 14, a tropical storm watch was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Barthélemy, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Saint Martin. Tropical storm warnings were issued for the southern portions of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Tropical storm warnings were also issued for offshore Puerto Rico. Saint-Martin and Martinique were also issued a yellow alert by Météo-France. In the Dominican Republic, yellow alerts were issued for the provinces on the northern coast. A flood watch was issued for Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. The National Office of Disaster Services in Antigua and Barbuda mobilized volunteer response teams. Air operations were suspended in Saint Barthélemy. Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport was closed in preparation for Erin. In Puerto Rico, 200 employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were deployed in preparations for possible flooding. Six seaports in Puerto Rico and two in the United States Virgin Islands were closed by the United States Coast Guard. and the beaches of María Trinidad Sánchez were closed. Public services in the Turks and Caicos Islands were suspended. A national systematic shutdown was issued for Grant Turk, South Caicos and Salt Cay. Some ports on the island were also closed down. Liat Air cancelled flights to the British Virgin Islands and Saint Martin. Caribbean Airlines cancelled flights to Tortola. Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas was directed to Port Canaveral, away from the Bahamas, to stay away from Erin. The Disney Treasure service was rerouted to the western Caribbean. In the Bahamas, at the same time that evening on August 16, the southeastern part was placed in a tropical storm watch, later upgraded 9 hours later on the morning of August 17 to a tropical storm warning. The central Bahamas later was placed under a tropical storm watch on the morning of August 18. United States on August 20 Tropical storm warnings were issued from Beaufort Inlet to Chincoteague, Virginia. Dare County, North Carolina issued a state of emergency on August 17. Evacuations of Zone A were also mandated for August 18 and 19 on Hatteras Island. Ocracoke Island also had a state of emergency and evacuation order issued. Currituck County issued evacuations for Corolla and also declared a state of emergency. The governor of North Carolina, Josh Stein, placed 200 National Guard troops and three water rescue teams on standby for Erin. Crews in Tybee Island, Georgia cleared storm drains, cleared garbage, and secured signs. New Jersey, Delaware, and New York City closed their beaches. The Norwegian Aqua remained in New York City instead of making way to Bermuda to avoid Erin. Rip currents created by Hurricane Erin caused hazardous swimming conditions along much of the east coast of the United States. In North Carolina, Wrightsville Beach and Ocean Isle Beach officials issued no-swimming advisories through August 22, after lifeguards reported making over 50 water rescues. New Jersey declared a state of emergency the same day, with Governor Phil Murphy urging people not to swim. Swimming was also banned in New York City from August 20-22 as Erin passed. Ferry service between Block Island and New London, Connecticut, was cancelled due to expected weather and sea conditions, as was ferry service between Cape May, New Jersey, and Lewes, Delaware. Elsewhere Bermuda was placed under tropical storm watch by the Bermuda Weather Service on August 19. It was upgraded to a warning on August 21. Ferry service to St. George's was cancelled. Orange Route Ferry Services were cancelled until August 25. Crews in Nova Scotia ramped up efforts to control wildfires before Erin could change wind patterns there. == Impact ==

Cape Verde Heavy rainfall from Erin's precursor disturbance resulted in significant flooding across the Cape Verde islands, particularly in the northwestern island of São Vicente. After heavy rainfall inundated the island on August 11, vehicles were swept away and several homes sustained damage. A total of of rain fell in just five hours on São Vicente according to the Cape Verdean National Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics. Flash flooding from the sudden rain resulted in at least nine fatalities, including four children. Seven people drowned from the floods, while another person was electrocuted. An additional person was reported missing while 1,500 people were displaced by the extreme rainfall and floods. Debris and fallen trees blocked off roads, while power outages affected most of the island. The Uni-Mindelo Auditorium was destroyed. Officials estimated that losses from this incident were 12,000,000 Cape Verdean escudos. Various commercial buildings were damaged as well. In response to the significant damage and deaths, the Cape Verdean government declared a state of emergency on São Vicente and the neighboring isle of Santo Antão. The National Civil Protection Service was deployed to the islands to address infrastructure damage. The service evacuated 36 and 26 people from Vila Nova and Alto Brava, respectively, on August 16. The World Bank Group allocated US$10 million to support recovery efforts from the storm. Caribbean Rough seas impacted much of the northern Leeward Islands and the Lucayan Archipelago. In Guadeloupe, of rain was reported at Col des Mamelles, in the Guadeloupe National Park, within six hours on August 16. Large amounts of sargassum washed ashore on Saint Martin and Rio San Juan in the Dominican Republic due to Erin. Landslides, fallen trees and power outages were reported. Damage in Puerto Rico totaled to US$103,000. Grand Turk experienced tropical storm conditions, with roads flooding and rough seas. The Bahamas was buffeted with rough seas and thunderstorms from Erin. Localized flooding occurred on Mayaguana. Over 159,000 customers lost power in Puerto Rico. On August 18, a 36-year-old man drowned at Caleta Beach in La Romana, Dominican Republic amid dangerous swimming conditions caused by Erin. United States Although Erin never actually made landfall in the United States, several locations along the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Virginia recorded major flooding late on August 21, around high tide. Minor to moderate coastal flooding was reported in nine other states, from Maryland north to Maine. North Carolina A station near Nags Head recorded winds of on August 21, with gusts of . Strong winds knocked down an 80-foot wind turbine onto a building in Kill Devil Hills, causing mostly minor damage. Waves on the Outer Banks reached and the storm surge was around . with the road being closed from Oregon Inlet to Hatteras. Over 2,200 people were evacuated from the Outer Banks. Massachusetts Nantucket was battered by waves and experienced significant beach erosion from swells generated by the storm. Wind gusts from Erin’s large wind field extended into Cape Cod and coastal Massachusetts, with wind gusts reaching in Nantucket. High waves and rough ocean conditions led to the closure of the ferry service to Martha's Vineyard between August 21 and 22. All across the Cape Cod region, beaches were closed due to high surf and rip currents, including in Nantucket and Westport. A boat capsized off Salisbury Beach, leading to a man being taken into the hospital and another missing. Other states Storm surge in Virginia peaked at at Wachapreague. Some areas of Atlantic City's beaches lost up to of sand. Some dune fences were damaged, allowing them to shift significantly. Storm surge in the state (and Delaware) peaked at in Delaware Bay. Near tropical storm-force wind gusts of 38 mph (61 km/h) were reported in Farmingdale, Long Island and a 39 mph (63 km/h) gust near John F. Kennedy International Airport. Large swells of 9 ft (2.74 m) also occurred off Rockaway Beach. A boy drowned while swimming off Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Despite being far from the storm, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi saw some effects. Upper level winds from Erin steered the remnants of a Mesoscale convective system into the states. Strong winds downed trees and power lines. In Tennessee, a car crashed into a downed tree, killing the driver. Damage in these states totaled to US$70,000. Elsewhere At the National Museum of Bermuda, sustained winds were recorded at and gusts at . Hundreds lost power in Bermuda (less than 6.5% of customers), with Pembroke Parish having the most customers out. Inbound flights to Hamilton were delayed due to Erin. == See also ==