Hurricane Erin Brings Rain to Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands

Hurricane Erin was a Category 3 hurricane Sunday, a day after it quickly intensified into a Category 5 storm. Forecasters said it could double or even triple in size by the middle of this week as it churns through the Atlantic.

The edges of the storm system were bringing heavy rain and wind gusts to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico early Sunday. Though Erin is expected to bring more heavy rain as it passes north of the Caribbean islands Sunday and Monday, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center were increasingly sure that the storm would remain east of the United States.

The storm is expected to turn to the north in the coming days, but there is some uncertainty about when. Even as the storm turns away from land, much of the East Coast of the United States and Canada are likely to see dangerous rip currents this week as the storm’s effects are felt far from its center.

Here’s what to know• Tropical storm watches were issued for multiple islands in the Caribbean, though some were discontinued as Erin continued moving west-northwest late Saturday.

• Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said they expect it to be an above-average season, with up to 18 named storms by the time it ends in November. A typical season has 14 named storms.

• The Trump administration has slashed the number of employees at many of the agencies traditionally responsible for planning for and responding to natural disasters, including NOAA, the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. So far, it is unclear how those cuts might affect the accuracy of forecasts. The weather service could begin hiring again soon.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.