Erin is predicted to become a "powerful and increasingly a large hurricane over the southwestern Atlantic over the weekend and into next week," the NHC says.

Over the weekend, Erin is expected to rapidly intensify all the way to a Category 3 hurricane. By Monday, as the storm steers away from the Caribbean and toward Bermuda, it’s now forecast to hit Category 4 with 130 mph sustained winds. Some long-term computer models suggest it could get even stronger and hit Category 5 in the open ocean.