Tight on time? This story is for you. It’s an abbreviated, text view of what’s happening with Tropical Storm Erin. Click here for more details and to see the latest spaghetti models.
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Will Hurricane Erin hit Florida? Is there a hurricane coming to Florida?
Erin strengthened into the Atlantic season’s first hurricane by 11 a.m. Aug. 15.
The storm is moving west-northwest, a direction it’s expected to maintain through the weekend.
Erin is forecast to begin moving northwest and then north early next week, possibly along a path between Bermuda and the U.S. and staying east of Florida.
➤ Hurricane drama vs. data: Why Erin is a miniscule threat to Florida, U.S. east coast
Where is Hurricane Erin right now?
As of 2 p.m. Aug. 15, Hurricane Erin was located 415 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands.
➤ Spaghetti models for Tropical Storm Erin
How strong is Hurricane Erin?
Maximum sustained winds were at 75 mph at 2 p.m. Erin is expected to become a major hurricane by late Friday. Winds are forecast to increase to 140 mph over the next 72 hours, making it a Category 4 storm.
How big is Hurricane Erin?
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles, mainly to the north of the center .
Watches, warnings issued for Florida
No watches or warnings are in effect for Florida or the U.S.
Tropical storm watches have been issued for some islands in the Caribbean.
What impacts will Hurricane Erin have on Florida?
“While the threat of direct impacts in the Bahamas and along the east coast of the United States appears to be gradually decreasing, there will still be a significant risk of dangerous surf and rip currents along western Atlantic beaches next week,” the National Hurricane Center said.
Do not focus on the cone!
The cone you see from the National Hurricane Center shows a consensus based on models on where the center could be over the next several days.
Track forecasts can be off by an average of 60 to 70 miles.
Direct impacts can be felt sometimes hundreds of miles from the center of the storm.
What should you do if you live in Florida?
Unless forecasts change, Hurricane Erin poses no direct risks for Florida residents. However, we are in the busiest period of hurricane season.
Now is the time to:
Keep an eye on weather updates. and make sure you monitor the latest conditions.
What’s next?
We will continue to update our tropical weather coverage daily.
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This story has been updated to bring you the latest conditions and forecast.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Got a minute? Here’s the latest on Hurricane Erin, and what you should do now
Reporting by Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
