Hurricane Arrin has quickly become a powerful Category 5 hurricane. Its maximum sustained wind speed is 160 miles per hour or 260 kilometers and there is a risk of accumulating more power.
This powerful storm will create deadly waves and rip currents along almost the entire east coast of the United States. Basically, rip currents are strong, narrow currents formed near the beach that flow out to sea away from the shore.
The British media outlet BBC reported this information in a report on Saturday (August 16).
Mike Brennan, director of the US National Hurricane Center, said in a briefing that the storm had become “very strong” overnight and had taken on an “explosively deep and intense” shape. However, it was still a tropical storm until last Friday.
The BBC says that Arrin is currently located in the Caribbean Sea. It is expected to pass over the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and northern Puerto Rico this weekend. It could drop up to 6 inches (15 cm) of rain, which could increase the risk of flash flooding and landslides.
The storm is also the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season. It is not currently forecast to hit the mainland United States.
Hurricane Irene has rapidly strengthened, according to the media. In just 24 hours, it has increased its wind speed by at least 34 miles per hour. It has increased from 100 miles per hour on Saturday morning to 160 miles or 260 kilometers, Brennan said.
Irene is forecast to slowly move north this week, passing the Bahamas eastward toward the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Brennan warned that the storm will create deadly waves and rip currents along almost the entire east coast of the United States. The waves will be the most dangerous in Florida and the Mid-Atlantic states. Deadly waves and heavy rain are also possible in Bermuda.
Meanwhile, due to strong winds, the US Coast Guard has imposed restrictions on shipping in ports on the islands of St. Thomas and St. John in the Virgin Islands and in six municipalities in Puerto Rico, including San Juan.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted a higher than usual number of hurricanes in the Atlantic this year. The agency also noted that the number of powerful Category 4 and Category 5 storms is increasing due to climate change.
