As of the latest update, issued at 4 a.m. CDT Thursday, Tropical Storm Erin was located about 990 miles east of the Leeward Islands and was on a path to the west at 17 mph. (The next update will come later this morning, and updates will become more frequent once watches and warnings go into effect for the storm.)

Tropical Storm Erin is still far out at sea, and experts say it is too soon to forecast its path as it approaches land. Based on some models and the official forecast from the National Hurricane Center, it is likely that Erin will become the first hurricane of the season and potentially the first major hurricane (Category 3 or higher).