NOAA and Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft found that Erin is in the middle of an eyewall replacement cycle (ERC). While it is in the stage of an eyewall replacement cycle, Erin has lost a bit of its punch and has been downgraded to a category 3.

Erin, the first hurricane of the season, exploded to a Category 5 hurricane Saturday, and despite fluctuations in intensity, the storm is remaining formidable this weekend. Here's where it could head in the week ahead.

The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories.

Hurricane Erin became the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season on Friday, with sustained winds of 75 mph as it moves toward the Leeward Islands.

Erin strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane on Friday morning east of the Caribbean Islands and is expected to keep strengthening through the weekend.

Eight people died in the storm's rough surf and rip currents, four in North Carolina, one in Florida, two in New York and one in Rhode Island. Many hurricane veterans jokingly refer to hurricanes and tropical storms that remain offshore as "fish storms ...