The outer bands of Hurricane Erin have reached the coastal waters of the mid-Atlantic states, bringing risks to shipping and to the general public in beachfront communities.
Erin became a Category 1 hurricane last week, and rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm overnight Friday. In jumping from wind speeds of 75 mph to 160 mph in about 24 hours, Erin became one of the fastest-intensifying hurricanes in history.
After undergoing an eyewall replacement Sunday, the storm weakened, but its horizontal extent broadened. It is producing waves of about 50 feet high near the centre of the storm, and wave heights of 12 feet or more extend 400 nautical miles from the centre – a “very large area of extremely large and hazardous seas,” according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Satellite AIS data shows that shipping interests are giving it a wide berth.
Read more in an article from The Maritime Executive.