It’s hurricane season for the East Coast of the United States, and Hurricane Erin is making headlines this week. Most spaghetti models and other forecasts show that Erin wouldn’t even hit the East Coast, so why is the storm causing concern? Could it make landfall? Get updates on the hurricane below.
Is Tropical Storm Erin a Hurricane?
Yes, Erin went from a tropical storm to a hurricane within a few days.
Tropical Storm #Erin is now less than 1000 miles from the Virgin Islands- looks like it becomes a hurricane by late Friday then could rapidly intensify passing just north of Puerto Rico. High surf & rip currents this weekend in the Leeward Islands. THEN the Bermuda high steering… pic.twitter.com/5SUhfTJ7X4
— Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) August 14, 2025
Will Hurricane Erin Hit the United States?
Spaghetti models have shown that Erin wouldn’t make landfall anywhere on the East Coast, but on August 14, meteorologists announced that Erin had a slight shift eastward. At 5 a.m. ET that morning, the system in the Atlantic Ocean was about 860 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour, an increase from 45 miles per hour earlier this week.
By August 16, forecasters maintained that Erin was not expected to make landfall on the East Coast of the U.S.. However, the storm would create dangerous surfing and swimming conditions for coastal communities.
By August 21, Erin became a category 2 storm and caused a surge in seawater near South Carolina’s Outer Banks.
What Areas Could Hurricane Erin Impact?
The NHC advised that Erin could move close enough to the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to have some impact, but it’s still unclear how much of a potential impact Erin could produce.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he was sending assistance to Puerto Rico ahead of the hurricane.
I just approved the deployment of California resources to Puerto Rico ahead of Tropical Storm Erin.
We’re glad to help coordinate life-saving response to Americans in harm’s way.
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) August 14, 2025
“I just approved the deployment of California resources to Puerto Rico ahead of Tropical Storm Erin,” Newsom tweeted on August 13. “We’re glad to help coordinate life-saving response to Americans in harm’s way.
The coast of Central Florida up toward Canada is expected to have rough surf and large waves because of Hurricane Erin. As of August 21, the Outer Banks of South Carolina had a surge in seawater.
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