Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said.

Erin strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph on Friday morning more than 400 miles east of the northeastern Caribbean’s Leeward Islands, according to the National Hurr...

The outer bands of Erin are expected to produce 2 to 4 inches of rainfall and isolated totals of 6 inches across the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico through Aug. 17.