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 exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean before weakening on Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said.

While the category 4 storm is not expected to make landfall on the U.S. east coast, it will have an impact nonetheless. Dangerous high surf and rip currents are expected from Florida to New England throughout the week.

Erin strengthened again Monday as it began pelting part of the Caribbean with rain and wind before it’s expected to create dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast this week.

The National Hurricane Center said the storm has winds of 50 miles per hour, and is expected to become a major hurricane by the weekend.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Tropical Storm Erin is churning in the Atlantic Ocean and moving toward the Caribbean, likely to become the season’s first hurricane, a storm with sustained winds above 74 miles per hour.

Hurricane Erin, now a Category 4 storm, is not making landfall but is already sending dangerous surf and rip currents from Florida to New England. The massive storm gained strength […] The post Hurricane Erin Isn’t Hitting Land—but It’s Already Causing Chaos from Florida to New York appeared first on Baller Alert.