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.

Erin has intensified to a Category Four Hurricane as it makes its way toward the East Coast of the United States.

Spaghetti models predict Erin will skirt the U.S. East Coast by hundreds of miles as it moves north through next week.

In the Gulf, Invest 98L could become a short-lived tropical depression before it moves inland over northeastern Mexico or southern Texas this afternoon or evening. Here's the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center as of 11 a.m., Aug. 15: