Hurricane Erin, the first major hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, rapidly intensified Friday night, with the storm now reaching Category 5 strength with sustained winds of 160 mph.

As the hurricane makes its way north well off the coast of the United States, the Space Coast will get rain and beach impact, meteorologists say.

Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies. Hurricane Erick, a Pacific storm that made landfall June 19 in Oaxaca, Mexico, also strengthened rapidly, doubling in intensity in less than a day.

Erin will likely cause heavy surf and rip currents along the Eastern Seaboard starting mid-next week, but nothing in the way of rain, surge, or wind.