“Erin is now a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane,” the NHC announced earlier Saturday, denoting highly dangerous storms with sustained windspeeds above above 157 mph.

Hurricane Erin is rapidly intensifying as it tracks above the northeastern Caribbean Saturday, churning up rough surf and sending rain and gusty winds to islands south of its path.

One of the major storms in Atlantic waters, Hurricane Erin intensified to a rare category 5 before becoming a category 4 storm.