Erin is the planet’s second Category 5 storm of 2025, arriving exactly four months after the first one. Cyclone Errol developed off the coast of northwest Australia and rapidly intensified from cat 1 to cat 5 strength in less than 24 hours on April 15–16. Errol then weakened drastically before coming onshore as a tropical low.

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

Tropical Storm Erin is nearly at hurricane strength Thursday night, its western path putting islands in the far eastern Caribbean under tropical storm watches, according to the National Hurricane