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.

Watch a live tracker of Hurricane Erin as it moves through the northeast Caribbean. The first Atlantic hurricane of the year is not expected to hit land.

It continues to push toward the northern Leeward Islands, where tropical storm watches are now in effect as of the 8 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. Intensification is expected as Erin moves toward warmer ocean temperatures over the next several days.

The August weather might seem ideal for a beach trip, but Hurricane Erin will bring widespread danger in coming days.

The longstanding hurricane rating system, the Saffir-Simpson Scale, only takes into account sustained wind speeds and not the full devastating impact of a hurricane.

Hurricane Erin has strengthened to a dangerous Category 5 storm, but remains on track to just send dangerous surf and rip currents to the Jersey Shore.

Hurricane Erin is bringing heavy rain to the U.S. Virgin Islands on Saturday as the Category 5 storm moves through the Caribbean

Erin is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year, and meteorologists are closely tracking its path and forecast.