The storm will remain a major hurricane through the middle of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph as its outer bands pounded the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with gusty winds and heavy rains early Sunday.

Offshore Hurricane Erin was downgraded to a Category 3 storm early Sunday, as rain lashed Caribbean islands and weather officials warned of possible flash floods and landslides.It also warned of "locally considerable flash and urban flooding,

Hurricane Erin brought intense rainfall to the U.S. Virgin Islands as it passed through the region Sunday. The storm, which had weakened to a Category 3, did not make a direct landfall but dropped as much as six inches of rain on the Outer Banks.