Watching Erin, Great Lakes rain

Major Hurricane Erin tracks east of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands today. Heat builds across the East, while rain focuses on the Great Lakes. These details, along with our daily tropical outlook, are published every weekday at 5 a.m. ET.

The WeatherRadar shows Hurricane Erin east of the Bahamas today. While the storm will stay east of the U.S. coastline, high surf and rip currents are possible this week. Showers and storms will form over the Great Lakes, and in the Southwest.

While the severe weather threat is low today, some localized flooding cannot be ruled out in cities like Chicago, Detroit and Albuquerque, N.M. A few scattered showers and storms will also dot the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.

The TemperatureRadar shows highs surging into the 90s across the southern and central Plains as well as the Mid-South and Southeast. Cooler-than-average temperatures are forecast for the West Coast and New England.

Hurricane Erin is a category 4 storm with sustained winds of 130 mph, moving northwest at 13 mph. Erin moves east of the Bahamas today. While Erin will curve and is not expected to be a direct threat to the U.S. East Coast, high surf, rip currents and coastal erosion are concerns. A tropical wave behind Erin now has a 50% of development over the next 7 days.

Atlantic Hurricane Season starts to ramp up in August and September. Learn more about how our hurricane alerts work here.