Meteorologists are closely tracking the projected path and forecast of Hurricane Erin, which is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year.

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. A second disturbance could develop west of Erin later this week.

Hurricane Erin continues to track along the Atlantic Coast this week. It has encountered some wind shear and dry air along its northwest flank, and that has impacted the structure of the storm. The storm has also slowed down since the weekend.

The National Hurricane Center expects tropical Storm Erin - which is powering across the eastern Atlantic Ocean - to intensify, potentially becoming a major hurricane as early as this weekend

Forecasters are monitoring two other tropical systems in the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 19 as the heart of the 2025 hurricane season approaches.

Erin is currently tracking close to the Caribbean with a tropical storm warning for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeast Bahamas. | ITV National News

Forecasters have warned hot weather could come to an abrupt halt, with Storm Erin expected to lash Britain with intense gales and sheets of rain as it continues to intensify in the Atlantic Ocean

Hurricane Erin has undergone a period of astonishingly rapid intensification — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It was a rare Category 5 on Saturday before weakening,