It quickly powered up from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said.

Erin is now a Category 3 hurricane with outer rainbands producing gusty winds and heavy rains across the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The Atlantic’s first hurricane of the season had maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour, forecasters said.

Hurricane Erin rapidly strengthened offshore to a “catastrophic” Category 5 storm on Saturday, as rain lashed Caribbean islands and weather officials warned of possible flash floods and landslides.

Hurricane Erin rapidly exploded overnight from a Category 3 storm to a massive Category 5 and is expected to strengthen further as it curves north between the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda this upcoming week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a dangerous Category 5 hurricane in just 24 hours.

Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 cyclone as it stayed safely north of the Caribbean islands over the weekend.

Hurricane Erin is now a major Category 5 storm. This is a recording from meteorologist Chris Ramirez, along with a live tropical loop.