Hurricane Erin has passed over the Caribbean’s northern Leeward Islands, including Sint-Maarten, Saba, and Sint-Eustatius, as a Category 4 storm, causing minimal structural damage but prompting widespread safety warnings,

Powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone a period of astonishingly rapid intensification — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It was a rare Category 5 for a time Saturday before becoming a Category 4,

Tropical Storm Erin has begun strengthening as it streaks west across the Atlantic and is on track to reach hurricane status as soon as Friday, prompting tropical storm watches in the northern Leeward Islands.