Erin is forecast to become a Category 4 hurricane, threatening Puerto Rico, Bermuda, and U.S. coasts with flooding and surf. Follow Newsweek's live blog.

Now, a new system in the Atlantic has just become the first hurricane of the season. Formerly Tropical Storm Erin, which formed from a tropical wave off the Cabo Verde Islands, has been steadily strengthening as it moves over open water and is now officially a Category 1 hurricane as of Friday, 15 August at 11 AM ET, according to meteorologists.

The chances that rain and wind from Tropical Storm Erin will hit the East Coast have risen slightly this week.

The first hurricane of the season is likely to form in the Atlantic Ocean this week. This system developed into Tropical Storm Erin today but remains very far from Texas in the eastern Atlantic. Through the week,

The first hurricane of the season is likely to form in the Atlantic Ocean Over the next few days or so. Tropical Storm Erin has not become any stronger today, but it will soon. The most likely path will take the storm just north of the Caribbean,

Heavy rains were forecast to start late Friday in Antigua and Barbuda, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and southern and eastern Puerto Rico. Up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) are expected, with isolated totals of up to 6 inches (15 centimeters), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Forecasters also warned of dangerous swells.

The National Hurricane Center is predicting Invest 97L could become a tropical depression or tropical storm as early as later this morning, Aug. 11.