Erin is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year, and meteorologists are closely tracking its path and forecast.

Powerful Hurricane Erin has brought storm surges and dangerous winds to the Caribbean and the US East Coast as the UK basked in its fourth heatwave over the weekend. Erin has swept away from the US and has been downgraded to a category 3storm, but could still upset the weather gods over here.

"The core of Erin is expected to pass to the east of the southeastern and central Bahamas today and tonight," the National Hurricane Center said.

In recent decades, the Atlantic has been warming at record rates, helping hurricanes explode into powerhouses.

Dare County officials have issued a mandatory evacuation of Zone A of Hatteras Island due to the potential for life-threatening impacts from Hurricane Erin, with coastal flooding and ocean overwash expected to begin on August 19th and continue through August 21st.

The storm, which is set to move through the North Atlantic, could bring 'an increased possibility of stronger winds and rain, some of which could be heavy and thundery', warned the Met Office.

Monster Hurricane Erin is causing cruise disruptions, and bringing a lesser-known hurricane hazard to Bahamas beaches.

Erin briefly became a Category 5 hurricane over the weekend and weakened to Category 3 status as it moved north and west of Puerto Rico this weekend. It is now a Category 4 storm and will be moving more north in the next few days.