The storm will remain a major hurricane through the middle of the week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph as its outer bands pounded the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with gusty winds and heavy rains early Sunday.

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,

Hurricane Erin brought intense rainfall to the U.S. Virgin Islands as it passed through the region Sunday. The storm, which had weakened to a Category 3, did not make a direct landfall but dropped as much as six inches of rain on the Outer Banks.

The storm is about 150 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Erin rapidly intensified into a category 5 major hurricane late Saturday morning. Erin is one of the fastest-growing storms on record. Its sustained winds increased from 75 mph on Friday morning to l60 mph by Saturday morning.

Hurricane Erin is forecast to continue growing in size, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 50 miles from its center.

Hurricane Erin is forecast to remain well offshore but still bring hazardous currents and possible erosion like previous offshore hurricanes before it.

Sunday features hot temperatures with very high humidity, with dew points once again at or a little above 70 degrees for many of us. An uneventful cold front passing through the area Sunday night will bring an end to this one-day heat fest, and now it’s on to cooler temperatures to start the work week.