Hurricane Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, could become a Category 5 hurricane, with additional strengthening expected this afternoon, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said on Saturday.

The storm is currently 375 kilometres east-northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with maximum sustained winds of 250 kilometres per hour.

Swells generated by Erin will affect portions of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and the Turks and Caicos Islands through the weekend, the NHC said.

The swells will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the east coast of the US early next week, it said.

Erin is expected to produce areas of heavy rainfall through Sunday across the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, the centre said.