Hurricane Erin became the first hurricane of the season Friday morning, and is expected to develop into a major Category 3 storm this weekend then intensify further as it passes to the north of Puerto Rico in the Atlantic,

Tropical Storm Erin formed in the eastern Atlantic Ocean on Monday, forecasters said. The storm could strengthen to become the Atlantic's first hurricane of the season.

Tropical Storm Erin is on the cusp of strengthening into a hurricane and is now forecast to hit Category 4 in a few days in the open ocean. The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for Erin to cruise west for the next few days — staying comfortably north of inhabited islands — before hooking north early next week and avoiding