Powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone a period of astonishingly rapid intensification — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It is now a rare Category 5, churning through the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean.

Hurricane Erin could 'at least double or triple in size' next week and the track has shifted south, but remains likely to turn away from the East Coast.

Anyone who rides out a Cat 5 storm in a high-rise should be prepared for an eyes-wide-open nightmare and an apocalyptic aftermath, one expert warns. The higher up you are, the stronger the winds

Tropical Storm Erin is now expected to become a Category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 130-mph.

There is "still a greater than normal uncertainty" about what impact Erin may have on the U.S. East Coast, NHC forecasters say.