MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — There are two areas of interest and a newly formed tropical storm in the eastern tropical Atlantic.
Tropical Storm Erin formed as of 11 AM Monday. Erin has been steadily organizing over the past 24 hours and will continue to do so throughout the week. Winds are currently sustained at 45 mph and are moving west at 20 mph. It is expected to become the first hurricane of the 2025 season as soon as Wednesday, and even a major hurricane by the weekend. As of now, peak intensity is forecast at Cat 3, winds of 115 mph. Several models indicate even at Cat 4.
For the next 5 days, Erin will track west, and early next week, we are anticipating a turn to the northeast and most likely out to sea. The question is how close this will track to the East Coast before making the turn.
Through the upcoming weekend, there is fairly good agreement that the center will be located northeast of the Windward Islands, which is still more than 1000 miles away from the Carolina coast. In the short term, just know this is not an immediate threat for this week, but something to watch very closely next week. It will all be about timing the turn, which depends on the location of the Bermuda High.
Elsewhere, in the central Atlantic, two areas pose no threat to the US. One in the central Atlantic will push due north. The other, closer to the US will not be a tropical system, but will funnel rain potentially into Nova Scotia…