Powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone astonishingly rapid changes in its intensity — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It quickly became a rare Category 5 for a time Saturday,

Forecasters say Hurricane Erin has exploded into a Category 5 storm in the Atlantic Ocean just north of the Caribbean.

It quickly powered up from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said.