The storm is expected to remain mostly over open waters, though tropical storm watches were issued for Anguilla, Barbuda, St. Martin and St. Barts, Saba and St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten. Heavy rains were forecast to begin late Friday in Antigua and Barbuda, the US and British Virgin Islands, and southern and eastern Puerto Rico. Up to 10 cm (four inches) of rainfall is expected, with isolated totals of up to 15 cm (six inches), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

 Forecasters also warned of dangerous swells. As of Friday, the storm was located about 835 km (520 miles) east of the Northern Leeward Islands. It had maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h (70 mph) and was moving west-northwest at 28 km/h (17 mph). Erin is forecast to strengthen into a major Category 3 hurricane late this weekend.

 The Hurricane Center noted that “there is still uncertainty about what impacts Erin may bring to portions of the Bahamas, the east coast of the United States, and Bermuda in the long range.” Dangerous surf and rip currents are expected to affect the US East Coast next week, with waves reaching up to five meters (16 feet) along parts of the North Carolina coast that could cause beach erosion, according to AccuWeather.

 “Erin is forecast to explode into a powerful Category 4 hurricane as it moves across very warm waters in the open Atlantic. Water temperatures at the surface and several hundred feet deep are several degrees higher than the historical average,” Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert, told the Associated Press.

 Erin is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. This year’s season is once again expected to be unusually active and potentially dangerous, with forecasts calling for six to 10 hurricanes, three to five of which could reach major status with winds exceeding 177 km/h (110 mph). (Aljazeera)