Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean before weakening on Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Erin battered North Carolina’s Outer Banks with strong winds and waves that flooded part of the main highway and surged under beachfront homes as the monster-sized storm slowly began to move away from the East Coast on Thursday.

Hurricane Erin pelted parts of the Caribbean and was forecast to create dangerous surf and rip currents along the US East Coast this week.

Users were impressed by the perspective captured in the viral post, with one describing it as "beautiful and terrifying."

The U.S. Air Force 403rd Wing released footage showing one of its planes entering the eye of Hurricane Erin. By early Tuesday, Erin had lost some strength from previous days and had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph),

Get the complete, updated list of confirmed itinerary and port visit changes for ships impacted by Hurricane Erin.

The tropical storm rapidly intensified into a category 5 over warm Atlantic water, causing heavy rains and strong winds on nearby coastal regions.

Miami faces a heatwave with high humidity, thunderstorms, and a heat index of 106, worsened by wildfire smoke reducing visibility.