Washington DC - Storm Erin on Friday strengthened into a hurricane, the first of the Atlantic season this year, and headed for the Caribbean where it could bring heavy rain to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that as of 2:00 PM ET, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, and was located about 415 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the US and British Virgin Islands.

The storm is expected to produce heavy rain from late Friday into Sunday for those areas, the center said, warning of possible "isolated and locally considerable" flash floods, along with landslides or mudslides.

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A tropical storm watch was in effect for Anguilla, Barbuda, and Saint Martin.

"Steady to rapid strengthening is expected during the next two to three days, and Erin is forecast to become a major hurricane during the weekend," the NHC said, with Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas in its projected path.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June until late November, is expected to be more intense than normal, meteorologists predict.

Last year, several powerful storms wreaked havoc in the region, including Hurricane Helene, which left more than 200 people dead in the southeast.

As part of President Donald Trump's plans to greatly reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – which operates the NHC – has been subject to budget cuts and layoffs, leading to fears of lapses in storm forecasting.

Climate change – namely, rising sea temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels – has increased both the possibility of the development of more intense storms, and their more rapid intensification, scientists say.