It quickly powered up from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said.

As of Saturday morning, Hurricane Erin had strengthened into a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of up to 160 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said.