Erin, Caribbean and Tropical Storm
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It quickly powered up from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said.
Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies. Hurricane Erick, a Pacific storm that made landfall June 19 in Oaxaca, Mexico, also strengthened rapidly, doubling in intensity in less than a day.
Officials in the northern Caribbean are warning of heavy rains and dangerous swells as Tropical Storm Erin approaches the region.
Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 cyclone as it stayed safely north of the Caribbean islands over the weekend.
A Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda will now head to Florida in order to avoid Tropical Storm Erin.