Hurricane Erin, now a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 160-mph, is expected to continue strengthening.

Tropical Storm #Erin is now less than 1000 miles from the Virgin Islands- looks like it becomes a hurricane by late Friday then could rapidly intensify passing just north of Puerto Rico. High surf & rip currents this weekend in the Leeward Islands. THEN the Bermuda high steering… pic.twitter.com/5SUhfTJ7X4

"The good news is that Dexter is moving away from the U.S., and expected to become ripped apart by stronger wind shear," said Weather.com's Jonathan Belles. "However, we could still see high surf and possible rip currents along the East Coast for the next several days."

Hurricane Erin is currently not forecast to hit land, but strong winds are affecting nearby islands, prompting forecasters to warn of possible flooding and landslides.

Hurricane Erin rapidly strengthened into a Category 5 storm. It is not expected to make a direct hit on the U.S. but will create dangerous surf.

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