Hurricane Erin gained strength Friday as it churned in the Atlantic Ocean and bore down on the Caribbean, where it could bring heavy rain to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.Erin, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season this year,

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

Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, is on track to rapidly intensify over the weekend and hit Category 4 strength next week in the open ocean. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for Erin to cruise west for the next few days — staying comfortably north of inhabited islands — before hooking north early next week and avoiding direct landfall in the Bahamas or Florida.