With thousands of miles of ocean water above the 80-degree Fahrenheit (27-degree Celsius) temperature needed to fuel hurricanes, Cape Verde storms are some of the most dangerous that threaten North America. About 85% of all major hurricanes — Category 3 and higher — start out there, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone a period of astonishingly rapid intensification — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It was a rare Category 5 for a time Saturday before becoming a Category 4,

The first area has been under the eyes of the National Hurricane Center for a few days as it emerged off Africa’s west coast.

New York and New Jersey are prepping for Hurricane Erin to make downfall on the U.S. coastline, and while the storm isn't going to make landfall, residents will definitely feel the impact.

A new system has emerged in the eastern tropical Atlantic, heading westward toward the Leeward Islands as Hurricane Erin continues to spin.

Flooding, rip current and small craft weather alerts were issued by the NWS for South Jersey as result of Hurricane Erin.

Jean-Raymond Bidlot, senior scientist in ocean modeling at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) told Newsweek that Erin is forecast to strengthen over the next week as it heads toward the U.S. East Coast, reaching peak intensity offshore from Cape Hatteras.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says even though Erin is forecast to stay offshore by hundreds of miles, he is urging people to avoid the water for the next few days. The Category 2 storm is now churning over the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean.