Hurricane Erin downgraded to Category 3 storm

Hurricane Erin was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane early Sunday as a tropical storm warning was issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands and winds and heavy rains whipped the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Erin, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, reached Category 5 status before weakening, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The storm’s center was about 155 miles (245 kilometers) north of San Juan, Puerto Rico and nearly 300 miles (500 kilometers) east of the Grand Turk Island, moving west-northwest at 14 mph (22 kph).

A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, and in this case, within 24 hours, the NHC said. Heavy rain is still expected across the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with rainfall of 3 to 6 inches (about 7.6 to 15 cms), with 8 inches (20 cms) in some isolated areas.

More than 159,000 customers were without power in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Erin on Sunday morning, according to Luma Energy, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of power on the island.

Swells were also expected to affect portions of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and the Turks and Caicos Islands during the next couple of days, the NHC reported.

The government of the Bahamas also issued a tropical storm watch for the Southeast Bahamas.

Scientists have linked the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the Atlantic to climate change. Global warming is causing the atmosphere to hold more water vapor and is spiking ocean temperatures, and warmer waters give hurricanes fuel to unleash more rain and strengthen more quickly.