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

Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said.

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.

As of 5 a.m. on Sunday, Hurricane Erin has weakened back to a Category 3 storm but has grown larger, the National Hurricane Center said.

Officials in the northern Caribbean are warning of heavy rains and dangerous swells as Tropical Storm Erin approaches the region.

Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 cyclone as it stayed safely north of the Caribbean islands over the weekend.

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

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

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,