MIAMI, United States (CMC) — Hurricane Erin was on Friday upgraded from a tropical storm, becoming the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

The hurricane is expected to pass near or north of the Leeward Islands on Saturday.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in its 11:00 am bulletin said that the hurricane is about 460 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands and has maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Anguilla and Barbuda, St Martin and St Barthelemy, Saba and St Eustatius as well as Sint Maarten.

Additionally, interests elsewhere in the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico should monitor the progress of Erin.

According to the NHC, the centre of Hurricane Erin was located near latitude 18.2 Nnrth, longitude 56.1 west and it is moving toward the west-northwest near 18 mph.

“This motion is expected to continue into the weekend. On the forecast track, the centre of Erin is likely to move near or just north of the northern Leeward Islands over the weekend.”

The outer bands of Erin are expected to produce areas of heavy rainfall tonight into Sunday across the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Rainfall totals of two to four inches, with isolated totals of six inches, are expected, with the NHC saying this rainfall may lead to isolated and locally considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides.

Swells generated by Erin will begin affecting portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by this weekend, and will likely spread to the western Atlantic next week.

“These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the NHC said.

The NHC said that reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75 mph with higher gusts.

“Steady to rapid strengthening is expected during the next two to three days, and Erin is forecast to become a major hurricane during the weekend,” the NHC said, adding that hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the centre and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles mainly to the north of the centre.