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Hurricane Erin strengthened to a Category 5 Saturday morning in the mid-Atlantic, with sustained winds of up to 160 mph. It is moving across the Atlantic on a track toward Bermuda, but it is expected to take a turn north and east, avoiding direct impact with the U.S. coast.

Hurricane Erin strengthens to Category 5, as wind speeds rapidly increase to 160 mph

Meteorologist Grant Skinner here in the weather center tracking the tropics in the Atlantic basin. We continue to track two different areas, powerful Category 5 Hurricane Aaron, and also one area to watch off the coast of North Carolina, with a low chance of development over the next 48 hours to the next 7 days. Visible satellite imagery shows that Hurricane Aaron is a very powerful system of still a defined eyewall. There is a of an outer eye wall, which means that the rapid intensification it's been undergoing over the past 24 hours will likely come to a close soon, but still a very powerful system, 160 mile per hour winds, it's 205 miles east northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, moving west at 16 MPH, pressure is down to 915 millibars, so very strong storm. And to move to the West, northwest, then northwest, then to the north, then move to the north and east. You can see maintaining major hurricane status through the next few days. You can see by Wednesday, still a 130 mile per hour winds, this is as the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center, then moving to the north and east. But you have to remember that impasse can be felt far outside of the cone. As this storm weakens over time, It could likely double or triple in size. So, impacts we felt far outside just the center of the storm. You can see monolots, pretty good agreement of where the center of the storm will go, again, moving to the north, then to the north and east, away from the the US East Coast, but still, The rough surf is going to be felt across much of the east coast because it's going to double, triple in size, and so impacts will be felt across the western Atlantic. So, this weekend, Aaron's still going to be way out at sea. Monday and Tuesday, rip current threat will start to increase as the surface churned up in the western Atlantic, and then by Wednesday in the Thursday and at the end of the week, we'll start to see some possibility for maybe some minor wind damage with some strong wind gusts, and the possibility for some beach erosion at the coastline. Also watching one more area off the coast of North Carolina, the good news is there's only a very small window of time for it to form into anything, but has a low chance of formation. And it will likely enter unfavorable conditions into the start of the coming weeks. So not expecting any impacts from this. This is that area of low pressure that brought some showers and storms to the coastline into Friday, and moved offshore into Saturday. So, continue to keep a close eye on Aaron and everything else in the tropics, you can get all the latest updates on WREL.com and the WREL weather app.

2025 Atlantic hurricane season update

Tracking Hurricane Erin

Hurricane Erin advisory, movement as of 2 p.m. Saturday, August 16, 2025

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A shooting on Poplar Drive in Fayetteville has led to the arrest of 29-year-old Calvin Foster Jr., who is facing first-degree murder charges for allegedly killing his father-in-law.


Man arrested after shooting, killing father-in-law in Fayetteville, police say

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The North Carolina Tar Heels are gearing up for the 2025 season, which includes the anticipated debut of legendary coach Bill Belichick. The team faces challenges such as a starting quarterback battle, replacing key offensive talent and improving a defense that's struggled in the last few seasons.

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) â A very rare and apparently very confused subtropical wood stork somehow found its way to the wilds of Wisconsin.

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Raleigh police are investigating after multiple fights erupted and reports of shots being fired after a high school football game.


Shots fired, multiple fights after Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School football game

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Saint Augustine's University announced the start of fall classes on Sept. 2. The Raleigh-based HBCU said it will remain fully accredited through the fall as it fights to maintain its accreditation status. Sophie Gibson has been appointed as the new board chair.

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The Wolfpack open the season with a rematch against East Carolina, the team that defeated them -- and brawled with them -- in the 2024 Military Bowl. Quarterback CJ Bailey looks to develop in his sophomore season, and head coach Dave Doeren is back for his 13th season.

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The Paperhand Puppet Project debuted its show, The Gift, just over a month after its studio in Saxapahaw flooded during Tropical Storm Chantal.


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Michael Gerard Renna, 50, has been arrested on 54 felony charges, including 26 counts of insurance fraud and 18 counts of obtaining property by false pretense.


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Newly released 911 calls capture the chaotic aftermath of a boat crash at Harris Lake that resulted in the death of a 10-year-old child and left a woman critically injured.

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While many year-round students have already started classes, Aug. 25 marks the first day of the 2025-2026 academic year for most traditional calendar students.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) â Long before whales were majestic, gentle giants, some of their prehistoric ancestors were tiny, weird and feral. A chance discovery of a 25 million-year-old fossil on an Australian beach has allowed paleontologists to identify a rare, entirely new species that could unlock mysteries of whale evolution.

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DENVER (AP) â A group of rabbits in Colorado with grotesque, hornlike growths may seem straight out of a low-budget horror film, but scientists say there's no reason to be spooked â the furry creatures merely have a relatively common virus.

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