The National Hurricane Center is monitoring two disturbances in the Atlantic—the first poised to approach the northern Leeward Islands later this week and the second near the Cabo Verde Islands—while Hurricane Erin, now a Category 3, heads away from the Caribbean.

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

On Sunday, Aug. 17, at 5 a.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center announced that over the next several days, Erin is expected to produce "life-threatening" surf and rip currents at beaches in the Bahamas, the East Coast of the U.S. Bermuda and Atlantic Canada.