Hurricane Erin, now a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, is churning north-northwest off the East Coast, driving dangerous storm surges and forcing evacuations along North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Hurricane Erin intensified into a Category 4 storm Saturday, packing winds of 145 mph as it churned through the Caribbean, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. The powerful system is currently located 150 miles northeast of Anguilla, moving west-northwest at 20 mph, and is expected to expand in size in the coming days.
The southeastern United States is on alert as forecasters monitor Invest 97L, a developing system in the Atlantic that could become Hurricane Erin — the first named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported Monday morning that the disturbance has a 90% chance of forming into a tropical depression or storm within the next seven days, with possible development as early as today.
Nearly 200 days after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, thousands of households remain without permanent housing, according to the state auditor’s latest recovery dashboard. Only six state-issued temporary housing units are occupied across the affected region, a stark reminder of the slow-moving recovery effort from what officials call the state’s worst natural disaster.
A North Carolina legislative committee approved a proposal Wednesday that would allow families of those missing in natural disasters to obtain a declaration of death without waiting the current seven-year period.
Recovery funds allocated to western North Carolina from the General Assembly now exceed $1.4 billion following Gov. Josh Stein’s signing of a fourth relief bill on Thursday, providing an additional $524 million in response to Hurricane Helene.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is monitoring a potential tropical disturbance in the northern Atlantic Ocean, months ahead of the official start of the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
Enrollment has increased at three state universities in western North Carolina, which were severely impacted by Hurricane Helene last fall. Appalachian State University, the University of North Carolina Asheville, and Western Carolina University all reported higher student enrollment compared to last spring, according to the UNC System.
