The US hurricane center NHC reports that the hurricane will reach wind speeds of 70 meters per second.
"Erin is now a catastrophic category 5 hurricane", writes NHC in its latest report.
The center of the hurricane is expected to pass just north of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean over the weekend.
The islands can get up to 15 centimeters of rain when the hurricane passes by with a risk of flooding and landslides, according to NHC.
The hurricane is expected to move north on Sunday, but meteorologists believe that the US coastline will not be affected even if heavy waves can reach some areas, such as the state of North Carolina.
Erin is the first hurricane of the season in the Atlantic, which usually starts in June and lasts until the end of November. This year, the season is expected to be more intense than normal, according to American weather forecasts.
