Atlantic Tropical Storm Erin potentially upgrades to first hurricane of the season this week, according to forecasters' reports
Tropical Storm Erin Becomes First Hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic Season
Tropical Storm Erin, which formed in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean on Monday, has progressed to a hurricane, marking the first of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. As of August 19, 2025, Erin is classified as a hurricane actively churning in the Atlantic [5].
As of Monday afternoon, Tropical Storm Erin was about 430 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, moving westward at 20 mph (32 kph) [3]. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph) [3]. Gradual strengthening of Tropical Storm Erin is forecast over the next several days, with the possibility of it becoming the first Category 1 hurricane of the season later this week [4].
Meanwhile, Hurricane Henriette, a Category 1 storm in the central Pacific, is expected to retain hurricane status for another day or two before weakening [7]. As of Monday, Henriette was located about 595 miles (945 kilometers) northwest of Honolulu, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) [7]. The remnants of onetime Tropical Storm Ivo, which had posed no threat to land, degenerated on Monday [6].
It remains too early to determine possible impacts, if any, from Tropical Storm Erin as it moves closer to the northern Leeward Islands [3]. No coastal watches or warnings are in effect for either Tropical Storm Erin or Hurricane Henriette [1].
The 2025 season began with four named tropical storms (Andrea, Barry, Chantal, and Dexter) but no hurricanes until Erin [2][5]. The season is on track for an above-average activity with NOAA forecasting 13 to 18 named storms and 5 to 9 hurricanes total for the full season [1][2]. Erin’s development is consistent with this active outlook and the unusually warm sea surface temperatures across the tropical Atlantic that support storm intensification [4].
Sources: 1. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outlooks/atlantic.shtml 2. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outlooks/gs_20250819_0000.shtml 3. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/miatcd13.shtml 4. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/atmospheric/2025/08 5. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gis/atlantic_all.shtml 6. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/miatcd12.shtml 7. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/pacific_all.shtml
The development of Hurricane Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, underscores the importance of environmental-science and climate-change research as it relates to weather patterns and tropical storm activity.
As the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season shows increased potential for above-average activity, ongoing research in environmental-science and climate-change is crucial to predicting future storm intensification and possible impacts on the ecosystem and climate.
