Hurricane Erin has rapidly intensified into a category five hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 160mph (260km/h). National Hurricane Center Director Mike Brennan told a briefing that the "extremely powerful" storm had "explosively deepened and intensified" overnight after growing from tropical storm strength on Friday.

Erin, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season this year, was located about 170 kilometers northeast of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the US and British Virgin Islands.

Erin is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year, and meteorologists are closely tracking its path and forecast.